A Fruity Combination Indeed
by Human Marshmallow
Summary: "Uh, what are those two doing?" "They're fighting for a boy." "Boys fighting for a boy… I see." I hate pineapples with a passion. So, being reborn as Dokuro Chrome (who had pineapple hair) and having Rokudo Mukuro as a 'master' (who also had pineapple hair), annoyed me, a lot. SI!OC
1. Kissing my Old Life Goodbye

**Me: Hi! I'm Human Marshmallow, and this is my first ever fanfiction! Just a little disclaimer here: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. I only own my Oc.**

**EDITED: 7.17.16**

** K $h1**

**Chapter 1: Kissing My Old Life Good-bye**

They say that we write our own stories. Our lives are a blank notebook, and it's our task to fill the pages. There are boundaries, of course – limitations. We can't really be fighting dragons or completing guild quests. Reality prevents us from doing what we can in our video games, from scenes in television shows, and from what we picture ourselves doing in our minds.

However, I know some people want their lives to be like fairy tales, but the things is, fairy tales are made up. They were written by a human – a _real_ human – to fill children's minds with such fantasies to keep them smiling, and also perhaps to entertain them, along with entertaining the thought that _maybe_ it would happen to them.

To some, like my younger sister, fairy tales are meant to happen – to come true. I grew up in the family reading fairy tales, and when my parents exchanged confused looks when I commented that the stories were stupid, I knew I was different. They assumed I was just smart for a kid when I turned to my dad's medical books instead. They didn't even entertain the idea that _maybe_ I thought the stories were stupid. I openly declared that I didn't believe in them. Still, a small part of me held on to the thought that perhaps they would really come true – that a prince on a white horse would come to sweep me off of my feet and save me from some evil witch.

I eventually learned that they didn't.

"Don't say that, Lily!" my younger sister, Gabrielle, told me once with a frown on her face. "You're only saying that because you've stopped believing! You stopped believing because you're old!"

I wasn't insulted by the fact that she called me old, even if I was only four years older than her. (I was eleven and she was seven.) Maybe it was because I knew that as you grew older, you learn to accept reality and you learn to understand. All the fairy tales ever showed us and told us were the good side of fairy tales – the happy side with happily ever afters. They never showed the darker side – reality.

I learned that witches weren't real (unless you count our resident bully Mallory). There were no mermaids to guide you to the most beautiful places under the water. It was impossible to fly with a sprinkle of pixie dust and because the dust itself didn't exist.

Even then, why did I still hope?

** K $h1**

If we looked at things deeper, it all started with a manga. My best friend, Sebastian, had been forcing me to read a manga called _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_. I wasn't interested in it at first – I was too obsessed with _Bleach_ to have time to squeeze another fandom into my life. I only really agreed once he promised to give _Bleach_ a try.

I had read the first chapter and found myself hooked to it. The humor was attracting and the character development really got me hooked. Seeing Sawada Tsunayoshi transform from a wimp into this confident person was heartwarming. After I had finished the whole manga in a week, I found myself with unanswered questions (_Does Tsuna end up with Haru? I want him to end up with Haru. What happens next now that they've changed the future? Are there going to be more enemies?...) _and wanting a continuation of it.

Sebastian found _Bleach_ interesting, as well. I was really ecstatic about that, seeing as I _finally _wouldn't be the only one in class who was obsessed with it. He then went on to tell me about a website where I could read fanfictions, stories created by other people about other stories. I checked it out and found myself wanting to just read each and every one that got me interested.

It was a nice thing to have Sebastian around. I was lucky to have found him. The people in my class weren't interested in anime. They also found fanfictions stories made by others because of their 'freakish and unhealthy obsessions on them'. They found what we did stupid, but to me and Sebastian, we believed that fanfictions were written because people wanted those stories to live on, but in the way they wanted.

Now, when I say that they want stories to continue living, I meant that they created their own ideas of it, their own spins to it, to let people read things _about_ their fandom that could have happened.

Nobody ever told me that there were other ways to make the stories live on.

** K $h1**

It was raining. People in black stood there, all under umbrellas as the rain poured hardly on them and on the pavement below them. They gazed at the black box being lowered into the soiled ground, some looking sorry, others indifferent, my parents in grief. Sebastian placed a comforting hand on my shoulder as I looked at the ground, not wanting to see her.

My last conversation with her was an argument, and it made my stomach churn whenever I remembered it.

"_Gab, fairy tales aren't real. If I were you, I'd stop believing them as soon as possible." I sighed as I continued reading my textbook, determined to pass tomorrow's quiz. I didn't spare her a glance._

"_They are! They are!" she insisted loudly, making my eye twitch as I had to reread the passage again._

_Glancing irritably at her, I saw that she was mad at me. Her face was pink and her eyes teary. She seemed as if she was about to cry or have a tantrum. Either way, I didn't feel guilty about what I was doing. She needed to hear this and accept it._

"_You're too young to understand," I told her, not stopping to think about the fact that being called 'too young' irked her. "Sure, maybe they _are_ real, but they don't last. There won't always be a happily ever after for you."_

"_Yes, they will!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms and puffing up her cheeks. "Happily ever afters always happen!"_

_I rolled my eyes at her. "Like I said, you're _too young_ to understand. You can't accept it yet, but one day, you will, and you'll look back at this day and laugh because you know I'm –"_

"_No!" she hissed and the tears began to fall. I started to feel bad but I steeled my resolve to let her know that she was believing in something that won't ever come true. "It's because you've stopped believing!"_

_I sighed and didn't respond. Silence reigned over the room and I didn't even look as she stomped out of the room, shoulders shaking._

I tried to smirk as her coffin was buried under the ground, but all that came out was a shaky smile. "Do you see now, Gab? Fairy tales don't last. Why do you think this happened?"

Gab had died. It was cancer. She was only seven.

** K $h1**

That night, I lay on my bed, eyes closed. There were scattered photographs and photo albums on the floor below my bed – pictures of Gab. Each picture made me wince. _Why had I been so mean? Why did I let my annoyance to our parents – my slight jealousy – get in the way? I could've been a good sister. I could've been the one she turned to for help with homework, the one she went to to talk about this cute guy she had seen, the one who would be her support._

I clenched my fists. _I was immature. I was older. I should've known better. I really should've._

That was when my eyes widened as I felt something crushing me from both sides. I could only see darkness and panicked voices and – _wherewasIwhat'shappening_

The light blinded my eyes, making me wince more and let out a small shriek. _It hurt, it hurt, ithurtithurtithurt_

"Shh…"

I was being held by someone, and that someone was trying to comfort me in vain. How could I calm down? How could I give in to her when I didn't _evenknowwhatthehellwashappeningtome_

I had seen a flash of dark purple hair before I shut my eyes, growing tired, and falling asleep.

** K $h1**

"_What will you name her?"_

"_Chrome. She'll be my darling little Chrome."_

** K $h1**

I woke up and found myself in a dark area. I didn't seem to be stepping on anything but I remained planted to the ground. In front of me was a man sitting on a chair. He seemed familiar to me, but I just couldn't seem to remember where and when I had seen him.

It then occurred to me that I wasn't panicking anymore. Perhaps it was a dream and I was about to wake up to another dull morning without Gab trying to wake me up to play with her.

I frowned. I didn't really feel like waking up.

"Then don't."

I yelped, surprised that the man on the chair had spoken to me. "Who the heck are you?"

"People call me many things, but I prefer Checkerface," he said, eliciting a laugh from me.

"What kind of a name is that?" I snorted. "If you don't mind, my little dream figment thing, I'd like to get back to reality." (I didn't want to go back. Keep me here.)

A smirk on his face grew. "I'm afraid I can't just do that, Lily."

I rose an eyebrow. "So you know my name. Yipee. Good for you. Can I go now?"

"Nope," he said, making the 'p' pop. "You're needed here, but all will be known in due time. I'll be going now, Lily, or should I say, _Chrome_?"

"What the hell are you smoking? Don't call me by something else." This guy was weird.

He just rolled his eyes at me and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

I shrugged, feeling the familiar pull of reality bringing me back.

I opened my eyes and saw the same dark purple hair. It belonged to a woman who smiled at me affectionately. "Hi, Chrome. I'm your mama."

My eyes widened.

_Chrome. Checkerface. Needed. Here. Lily. _

_I WAS IN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN?!_

I started hyperventilating.

** K $h1**

**Me: So, there. I edited this first chapter, and I'll be editing the following chapters before posting any new ones. Sorry for the inconvenience!**

**Also, to answer some questions you may form…**

**Why is Lily immature? **She's eleven. Even I was immature back then, and slightly jealous of my cousin when he came along and took most of the attention away from me. In Lily's case, she's easily annoyed with Gab because they're not on the same intellectual level, and because Lily believes that her ideas are right. She can't really stop or control her annoyance.

**What does Lily mean by hoping for fairy tales?** As an eleven year old, there's some part of her that's mature enough to know that fairy tales really aren't true. They're fiction. She's realized this, but finds herself wanting the happily ever afters the heroines had, even though she refuses to admit it.

**Why didn't she cry during the funeral? **I based her reactions off of mine for some of the story. Basing it off of me, Lily didn't cry, although she felt bad about it deep down. As an eleven year old, I, and Lily, have accepted that death was a part of life no matter what. Plus, they weren't close. I didn't really cry when someone I knew died because I wasn't close to the person…

**See you next time!**


	2. My First Year

**Me: Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows! I'm so happy! After all, this is my first fanfic ever! Thank you! And, yes, I know that the name 'Chrome' was given by Mukuro, but the whole thing will be explained eventually.**

**Bel: Shishishi, the prince is here. Don't ignore him.**

**Me: Oh, hi, Bel.**

**Bel: Shishishi, is this the second chapter? When does the prince appear?**

**Me: Soon, so disclaimers, please?**

**Bel: How about 'no'?**

**Me: *pouts* Uh, Fran?**

**Fran: *sighs exasperatedly, but still emotionless* She doesn't own anything except her Oc.**

**Me: Yay~, now, on to Chapter 2!**

** XxXxXxXxXxX**

**Chapter 2: My First Year**

To be honest, I didn't love my parents in a true way. But, it was more like… it was an obligation. I just… didn't love them like that. I was really distant from my family, and the fact that my parents loved Gabrielle more may have added to that.

It wasn't that I was the bad kid, but I was always compared to her. Gabrielle this, Gabrielle that. To them, she was just so… so _perfect_. And, I wasn't.

But, I didn't hate her for that. She did nothing wrong to me, anyways. I just hated the fact that I was always compared to her – always.

Now, as Chrome, I felt happy that I was loved by a parent – _truly_ loved.

K $h1

Chrome's, well _my_, mom was Italian. My father was Japanese, but I never met him. According to mom, I wasn't supposed to exist actually. She and my dad were never married. They just had a one night stand or something.

My mom loved me a lot, even if I was an unwanted child. Perhaps it was because I really looked like her. I held no resemblance to my father, and I suppose that made her happy.

Also, I learned from my babysitter, a woman named Lucia, that my mom's name was Bianca.

"Chrome, dear, say 'Mama' for me, will you?" Mama said as she held me in her arms.

I wasn't a year old yet, but I had managed to start walking a few steps before getting rather tired. That was five months after I was born.

Right now, I was eleven months old – almost a year old. I could speak already, but I couldn't speak full sentences yet. It was more of phrases only.

"Mama." I repeated easily.

"Oh, you're so intelligent, Chrome! I'm sure they'll all love you!" Mama said as she kissed my forehead.

'They', meaning the people who were invited to my birthday party tomorrow. Mama had insisted on it, since she wanted to brag about her daughter.

I hated parties, actually. But, for her, I suppose… I'll agree to it… for now.

"Your job?" I asked her.

She seemed surprised for a moment before smiling at me. "I'm the boss of a catering company."

I nodded, even though my gut was telling me that there was a chance that she was lying. Stupid, right? Why would my – Chrome's – mother lie, after all?

"Well, Chrome, I have to go now. I'll leave you with Lucia again." Mama told me.

"Ok." I said.

When she had left, I grabbed a piece of paper and drew on it. As a baby, my drawings weren't as good as my drawings when I was a teenager, but it was understandable anyways.

"Chrome-cchi, I'm here again~" a voice called out from the doorway – _Lucia's._

Lucia had mahogany brown hair and hazel eyes, and her personality was like Kise Ryota's from Kuroko no Basuke (even the adding of –cchi).

I nodded at her and continued drawing.

"What's that?" she asked me.

"I want," I said, showing her what I drew.

"Is that a gadget?" she asked, trying to figure out my (horrible) drawing.

I nodded. "3DS."

"Oh…" she said. "I'll go ask your mom if we can go shopping, ok?"

I nodded again.

Lucia brought out her cellphone and called my mom. "Hi, Bianca-cchi. Chrome-cchi wants to buy a 3DS. Yes, I'm serious. Of course! Wait, Pewdiepie? Ok, bye."

Turning to me, Lucia said with a smile, "Your mom approved, so we can buy your 3DS now! Oh, but we also have to download videos of Pewdiepie in a CD. Your mom thought that you'd like it."

_Pewdiepie? __**Like? **__I __**love**__ Pewdiepie!_

I nodded and grinned, pointing at myself as I said, "Dress up."

Lucia nodded and we went to my room as she helped me change into a red t-shirt (that had a brofist on it), blue shorts, and black and red rubber shoes.

"Let's go, then, Chrome-cchi~"

K $h1

**At the mall…**

Lucia led me to this shop that sold electronics. We went in and the first thing I saw was a game for Assassin's Creed. I squealed as I checked the price. I looked at Lucia who said, "If there's extra money, then ok, we'll buy it."

I grinned as I chose my 3DS. It was the gold one with the TriForce design – the one where you already have a pre-downloaded Legend of Zelda game. After paying for the console and its charger, there was (thankfully) some change that fit the Assassin's Creed game, so while Lucia paid for it, I roamed around in the store, searching for games I could buy in the future.

I was reaching out for the Resident Evil game when someone grabbed it at the same time I did – a boy with blonde hair with bangs that covered his eyes, a manic grin on his face, a tiara on top of his head, dressed in black, and wearing white boots.

Oh, wow. He reminds me of Bel.

Wait.

_Bel. _As in, _Belphegor_?

My eyes widened slightly as he looked at me curiously.

"Shishishi, if it isn't a peasant who plays the same games the prince does," he said.

_Technically, a lot of people – err, peasants – play Resident Evil, too, you know._

I nodded.

"The prince wants to know how old you are," he said.

I held up one finger. "One."

"Shishishi, the prince thinks he will enjoy your company, peasant," he said. "After all, it's not every day that a baby peasant plays these games~"

I nodded. "Your name?"

He seemed a bit (a super tiny, miniscule, little bit) surprised that I could speak (_did he really not notice that I was walking by myself? No? Ok._) "A less stupid baby, then? Shishishi, the prince's name is Belphegor. And the peasant's name is…?"

"Chrome," I replied.

"'Chrome'," Bel said. "Well, Chrome, the prince will take his leave now. Arrivederci."

"Bye," I told him as he started walking away.

"Chrome, we're leaving already." Lucia said as she walked towards me. Tilting her head to the side curiously, she asked, "Who were you talking to?"

"A very hairy being," I replied as she nodded in 'understanding'.

"It must've been interesting, huh?" she said. "Well, let's go now. It's time for dinner anyways."

"Pasta?"

"Yes, Chrome, pasta."

_PAAASSSTTTAAAAA!_

K $h1

**Me: I'm sorry if her meeting with Bel was really short. But, I didn't think they'd talk a lot since they only met after all, so yeah…**

**Also, I'm sorry for updating late. We have a presentation in school (dancing :P ), so I wasn't able to update. Sorry!**

**Read and REVIEW, please!**


	3. My Birthday Party Part 1

**Me: Thank you so much for all the favorites, follows, and reviews! This is only my third chapter and I can already feel the love! Haha!**

**I am so sorry for updating late! I've been really busy with school work (I think our teachers have secretly agreed to make our lives hell. I mean, who gives four long tests in one week?! And those homeworks…. -.-) and also because I was making sure my costume for Cosplay Mania 2014 was good.**

**I met up with my ex-crush/close friend (ok, so maybe I still like him, even though I've been trying not to have any more feelings for the guy, but just can't seem to stop, and it's been almost two years of having a crush on him) and his two friends from his old school (who were totally fabulous. I dubbed one of them Glasses Guy because he was the most serious among us four and he wore glasses. The other guy was like another me, except, well, male. I dubbed him The Other Self, yes, based on the song from Kuroko no Basuke 3 ). It was fun. Fabulous, even. **

**Enough of my life for now…**

**Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**-.-.-.-.-**

**Chapter 3: My Birthday Party Pt. 1**

A birthday is the day when you were born, hence the words 'birth' and 'day'.

Gabrielle's birthdays were always a blast. Her friends would come over and they'd go to adventure parks or pools or gardens.

On my birthdays, it was merely a blowing of the cake and it was done.

But, I never enjoyed birthdays. Perhaps it was because I always believed that it was just an ordinary day, like any other day, except for the fact that you were born on that day. I never understood why you had to celebrate it. I mean, what was the point of it? Sure, you were a year older, and lost yet another year of your lifespan, but why bother celebrating it?

-.-.-.-.-

So, please let me get one thing straight: _Never_ make me wear or have anything _pink_.

My mom said that I was 'cute' in that pink frilly dress she bought me, but believe me, I almost puked at the sight of it.

I have nothing against dresses, but _pink_? I'd have a seizure.

The only reason I tolerated it was because my mom used puppy eyes on me, and she kind of guilt-tripped me.

I shuddered as I recalled how she did it.

~Flashback~

"_Oh, Chrome~ I have a dress that you might like~" I heard my mom say as she entered my room._

_She showed me a pink dress with frills and glitter. "What do you think?"_

_I stared at her and shook my head firmly. "No."_

"_But, why not Chrome?" she whined._

"_I hate pink." I said, as I was (finally) able to complete my sentences._

"_But, Chrome~" she whined again._

"_Pink disgusts me." I replied._

"_But, Chrome~, isn't this the least you could do for your mother? I mean, I fed you when you were a baby, changed your diapers each night, made sure you enjoyed… Can't you wear it just this once, for me?" she said with puppy eyes._

…

"_Fine."_

_She smiled as brightly as the sun, if that was even possible. "Aww, thanks, Chrome!"_

~Flashback End~

And that was how I ended up wearing this monstrosity.

But, I guess I did really owe her a lot. She took care of me, her daughter – well, not really daughter.

-.-.-.-.-

When I had arrived downstairs in our ballroom (yes, my mom is some kind of rich person even though she only has a catering business), I saw hundreds of people.

There were ladies chatting with men flirtatiously (I may be a child, but I had a mind of a teenager, so of course I'd know flirting when I saw it), who were flirting back. Musicians played classical music as some couples danced along.

There were men in tuxedos who were a bit intimidating and creepy. They were smiling, but for some reason, I felt as if their smiles were fa—

_Oh my gosh, is that food?_

I felt my mouth water as I stared at the food on the table, specifically, the desserts. There were chocolate-coated strawberries, marshmallows dipped in strawberry fondue, pumpkin flan, apple pies, chocolate sponge cakes, vanilla cupcakes coated with chocolate powder, and best of all: THERE WERE COOKIES.

I attempted to get to the dessert section without hitting anybody.

_Jeez, where was my mom? I mean, after I changed she just left, instructing me to just go down on my own. In my other life, my classmates would have said 'What kind of a mom leaves her kid alone!?'. But then again, I wasn't like any other kid, now was I?_

I was only a few steps away from heaven when I bumped into someone's back, making me fall onto the floor. "Ow…"

"What's wrong with you?" the person, a boy with yellow hair and sky blue eyes, said, annoyed.

I stood up and glared at him. "I'm sorry for hitting you, but you don't have to be so rude, you fag."

He was surprised a little, as he said, "You're a baby, and yet you can speak like that?"

"No duh." I said as I swept past him.

"Hey!" he called out.

Turning around, I demanded, "What do you want?"

"How old are you, anyways, kid?" he asked.

"I turned one today." I replied. "And you?"

"Five, in fact," he said. "Well, that's all. Now, shoo."

"Who invited you here, anyway?" I said, crossing my arms.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know, because I'm the birthday celebrant?" I replied, clicking my tongue.

He paled as he repeated, "Y-You're the… birthday celebrant?"

"I believe I've just said that, but yes, I am." I said. "Why?"

He didn't appear to be listening to me anymore as he muttered words to himself. The only words I caught were 'mom', 'kill', 'so dead', and 'her'.

"Yo, dude." I said, gaining his attention. "You okay?"

He glared at me, but it was more of an annoyed look. "Do I look like I'm okay? My mom is going to kill me if she finds out that I argued with her best friend's daughter!"

_Oh, so our mom's know each other? Interesting…_

"Why don't I just go and tell your mother, then?" I said as I tried to walk away.

He had grabbed my arm before I could leave and hissed, "Don't you dare!"

Looking at him with an innocent face, I asked, "Don't I dare what?"

"You know what!" he whined. "She's going to kill me!"

_Oh my gosh, he looks like a kicked puppy right now… My heart always aches when I see poor, abused puppies, and this guy looks like one of them! AGHHHH._

Hesitantly, I touched him. When he didn't pull away, I had hugged him. "Don't worry, I was lying when I said I wouldn't tell. Don't cry…"

He started shaking, so I assumed he was crying.

_Ah, dang._

"Please don't cry…" I said, hugging him even tighter.

"But you'll tell her…" he said.

"I won't, I promise!" I said.

Then, he shook even harder, but I didn't feel any tears. Curious, I stepped back and saw that he was laughing, so I punched his arm.

"Ow, what was that for!" he exclaimed as he massaged his arm.

"That's for making me apologize to someone like you." I replied as I headed over to the dessert section.

I heard him scoff as he walked away.

-.-.-.-

When I got to the desserts section, I got a plate and started filling it with 31% chocolate coated strawberries, 19% marshmallows, and 50% cookies. What? Oh, don't look at me at like that. I love cookies, jeez. Cookies are life. Cookies are love.

I sat on an empty table and began eating to my delight. When I had finished, my mom arrived. _Finally!_ She descended down the staircase and the guests quieted down, along with the music.

"Thank you all, for taking the time to attend my daughter's birthday party," Mom said. "As you all know, she's turned a year old today. So, I would like to introduce my daughter, Chrome. Chrome, dear, come here, please."

I jumped, yes, jumped, off of the chair and ran to Mom. She held me close and lifted me in the air as she laughed.

"This is Chrome," she said.

After she set me down, she introduced me to many guests, who all greeted me a happy birthday. _It's different from the birthdays I had at home… Although, it actually feels quite nice… celebrating it…_

At last, we arrived at a family of two: a woman with pink hair and sky blue eyes and that jerk face from a while ago.

"Bianca, dear!" the woman exclaimed as she hugged my mom tightly.

"Rosetta!" Mom exclaimed. "Oh, I haven't seen you in years!"

"I know right!" Rosetta said. "Thanks for inviting me and my son here."

"Oh, please," Mom said. "You and your son are always welcome here!"

I then glared at the jerk, who glared back at me. _Him, welcome here? I'd rather sniff Levi's butt. …On second thought, I'd rather have the jerk here._

"Rosetta, could I leave Chrome with you for a while? I have… business to attend to." Mom said. I didn't understand really. If it was business, then why would my mom have to be so secretive about it? I mean, it's only a catering business. Meh…

"Of course!" Rosetta said.

"Chrome, I'll leave you with Auntie Rosetta, ok?" Mom said, ruffling my hair. I nodded. She then left.

Turning to Rosetta, I said, "Hi, Auntie. My name's Chrome. It's nice to meet you."

"Aww, you can already speak so well, and you're only one?" Rosetta squealed as she pinched my cheeks lightly. "You are so cute~ You know, my Angelo here only learned to speak well like you around a year ago."

I turned to Angelo. When Rosetta wasn't looking, I smirked at him and looked back at his mother, knowing well what his reaction was.

Rosetta was talking to me about the food and how she loved it so much. I understood. Food was the best thing in the world. …Next to turtles, of course. Turtles are fabulous.

"Auntie, it's fine. You can go eat." I said.

"But I promised your Mom I'd watch you…" Rosetta said.

"It'll only take a little while, right?" I said. "It's fine. You can just leave Angelo in charge of me."

"Wait, wha—" he tried to say, but his mother ignored him and beamed at me, saying, "You are such a genius, Chrome~ Okay, I'll take you up on that offer. Angelo, take care of her, alright? If she's harmed in any way, even the tiniest scratch, I'll personally punish you~ Ok, bye, kids!"

As she went away, I shivered. "I understand why you're afraid of her now."

He nodded, then said, "Why'd you say that? I thought you hated me…"

"…I don't hate you." I said, making him surprised. "Although, I do enjoy annoying you."

He sweatdropped, but gave me a small smile and said something that I wasn't able to hear.

"What was that?" I asked him. "I wasn't able to hear it."

He laughed and said, "No need to worry about it."

"You know, you're actually quite nice to be with, if you're not being a jerk." I said, beaming at him.

I swear his cheeks turned a little pink.

He looked away and said, "You, too, Chrome. You, too…"

**-.-.-.-**

**Me: Ah, is this the beginning of a new friendship? Or something more? Meh, who knows. Lol.**

**I really am sorry for updating late. It wasn't only the long tests and homeworks and exams and that accursed PE project (that I wasted five minutes of my life on), but also the fact that… my friends have made me obsessed with League of Legends… again. So, yeah.**

**But, on a lighter note, you can expect another chapter on Saturday! Or next week! Who knows?**

**Well, review please!**


	4. My Birthday Party Part 2

**Me: Well, here's chapter 4! I hope you guys enjoy it, because there'll be a bit of Angelo x Chrome here, hahaha.**

**Selfish request from me: can you guys please review? I like reviews~**

**\- this chapter has been rewritten on May 6, 1:48 pm -**

** K $h1**

**Chapter 4: My Birthday Party Pt. 2**

Whenever I watched action movies (in my previous life), I had always wondered what it would be like if I was the hostage, since there usually _was_ a hostage in those kind of movies. Would I be as scared as they were, or would I be a badass and easily escape and beat them all up? I had wondered about it for years, and unfortunately, I was granted an answer to that by actually becoming one.

Remember those intimidating and creepy guys in the tuxedos? Well…

_Flashback..._

_"So, Angelo, how's life?" I asked the blonde next to me, who shrugged._

_"Life's been going well until I met you," he replied with a smirk, indicating that he was only messing with me._

_"That's funny. I could say the same thing." I joked along with him._

_We then talked for a while. It turns out that the jerk face was actually a pretty cool guy._

_He and I had many similarities: we both love the Dark Mocha flavored coffee in Starbucks, we both have a 3DS and PS4, we both like eating Milo powder, and so much more. He was like another me, which was cool, because I had always wanted an older brother figure, and he fit into my criteria very well. Very well, indeed._

_"Can you be my bro?" I asked him casually._

_"Sure, why not?" he said. "After all, it'll give you more time to bask in my glory."_

_"What glory?"_

_"…"_

_It was then that we had heard an explosion to our right. There was smoke everywhere, and the guests were running away. When the smoke had cleared, I saw those creepy men in tuxedos and they were armed with guns, not to mention that one of them possessed indigo colored flames._

Could it be that… he was a Mist user….?

_"Come on, we've got to hide!" Angelo said, grabbing my right arm and dragging me outside._

_"Wait, where's my Mom?!" I asked him frantically, searching left and right for my mom._

_"She's capable of defending herself!" Angelo exclaimed. "Now, hurry up, you ass!"_

_We had neared the door – the door that led to safety (hopefully). Unfortunately, we were blocked by this really tall dude who stuffed us in a bag._

_End of Flashback..._

So here we were, inside a bag, which we surprisingly fit in. My head hurt from all the bouncing, as I deduced that whoever was carrying us was jumping, possibly from building to building, or in a car that was driving on really bumpy roads that the government didn't bother to fix yet.

When the bouncing stopped, I sighed in relief as the bag opened and we were dumped inside a cage. The man quickly closed the top of the cage and locked it. _Now I know how Sebastian's pet feels. _

In front of us was a bald guy in a tux. He was the one with the Mist flames.

"Why'd you take us, you old hag?" I demanded.

He scoffed and said, "That's none of your business, you brat."

I clicked my tongue as the guy left, leaving us in this cage in a dark room.

"Angelo?" I whispered.

"What?" he said.

I could sense his presence next to me. "What were you saying, though? How can my mom defend herself when she wouldn't even hurt an ant?"

"Isn't it supposed to be 'when she wouldn't even hurt a fly'?"

"Shush, and answer the question."

"If you don't know, then that's not for me to tell."

"Some brother you are."

"I know."

K $h1

We were alone in this dark room for about two hours. I was thankful to myself for pigging out on the desserts, so I wouldn't be going hungry for a while.

Then, all of a sudden, the lights turned on and the door swung open. In came two bulky guys and an old man in a wheelchair.

"So, you must be Angelo Vittori, and you are the Chrome that I've heard so much about."

I turned my attention to the old man who had entered the room that we were in.

"Who're you?" I asked.

"My name is Charles."

"Xavier?" I asked curiously.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Nothing…"

"You know, for someone who's holding us in here against our wills, you're rather polite." Angelo scoffed.

"Yes, well, I _am _a civilized being," Charles said.

"If you were, then why resort to such methods when you could just ask us _politely_ to go with you wherever?" Angelo said.

"Ah, but you would never say 'yes'." Charles said.

"What do you even want us here for?" I asked.

"To harness the power inside you."

"Huh? What power?" I wondered out loud.

I turned to Angelo, wondering if he knew what the Xavier look-a-like was talking about. But, Angelo was just glaring at Charles.

_What a rather odd reaction. _It was only natural to glare at someone who had kidnapped you. But, the intensity of Angelo's glare…

Before I could think deeper about that thought, I had felt it. Talk about timing.

"Um, Mr. Charles guy?"

"Yes?"

"I… uh… need to number two."

K $h1

"Aah, that felt good." I sighed as I went out of the bathroom and was escorted (dragged) back by the very guy who brought me to the bathroom.

We passed by many hallways, with many doors. I didn't know what each door contained. I wanted to, but it was dark, and if the guy wasn't with me, I would be screaming my head off. This was like a place in Silent Hill.

When we got back to the room, I overheard a conversation going on between Charles and Angelo.

"You mean to tell me that she doesn't know _anything _at all about it?"

"Of course she doesn't, old man! Her mother didn't even tell her yet!"

"Ah, so it was a waste. I guess I'll have to tell her myself."

That was when the guy opened the door and pushed me inside.

I almost tripped, but managed to regain my footing. "Tell me what exactly?"

Angelo was out of the cage and was glaring at Charles, who was three feet away from Angelo.

Charles smiled. It was a creepy one. "You possess something special – a Flame."

My eyes widened. _Did Chrome know of it this early? Or did she only learn of it because of Mukuro?_

"A…. Flame…?" I repeated.

Charles nodded. "You seem to know about it, judging by your reaction earlier."

"How is this related to my mother?" I demanded.

"Ah, your mother –" Charles started until the door burst open and in came my mother.

"M-Mom?" I said, surprised that she was here.

"Well, speak of the devil," Charles said.

She was wearing a female version of a tuxedo, and she had a sword in one hand, lit with red flames.

"Chrome, Angelo, get away from that man." Mom said dangerously.

Before I could respond, Mom. "What's happening!?"

"Charles, you've got some nerve, attempting to kidnap my daughter and my best friend's son." Mom said, glaring at Charles. "You're lucky that Rosetta is in the castle, fending it off from your men. If it was her here, she wouldn't be as lenient. Now, surrender and call off the attack, or I'll kill you."

"Oh? Is that so?" Charles said with a smirk. "Let's settle this, then, Bianca."

"Angelo, you know what to do." Mom told Angelo without breaking her eye contact with Charles.

"Wha—"

Angelo had scooped me up in his arms and ran away from the room before I could finish my sentence. "Hey! Put me down, Angelo! I need to go back! My mom's still there!"

"And what would you be able to do if you were there? Help? You'd only get in the way, you little brat!" Angelo said as he arrived at the exit of the building.

As we headed out, we passed by several unconscious bodies.

_Did Mom… do all of this?_

We went out of the building and saw Lucia next to a car.

"L-Lucia?" I said in surprise.

She nodded. "Get in. Now."

Angelo nodded as he opened the door of the backseat and tossed me inside. He got in along with Lucia as she sped off.

"Where are you going?! Mom's still in there!" I exclaimed.

"Sorry, Chrome, but your mom told me to get you to safety the moment you arrive." Lucia said with tears in her eyes. "She told me that if you got there before she did, I'd leave her behind. I owe her a lot, so by doing this favor, no matter how much it hurts, I'll do it. Now, no more questions. Please."

I started crying.

As my old self, I didn't give two shits about my parents. They never cared about me, so I never cared about them, as well.

But as Chrome, I had a loving mother, who raised me on her own, with Lucia's help. I, in turn, loved her back.

Angelo hugged me tightly as I turned my head around, watching as the building Mom was in was getting smaller and smaller until I couldn't see anything anymore.

** K $h1**

**Me: I'm sorry for putting some drama there, haha. The story didn't get as much hits as I had expected (selfishly, because I'm really selfish), but, oh well.**

**Can you guys review please? It'll help lots! Thanks!**


	5. What Came Next

**Me: So, this is Chapter 5! Thank you for the faves and follows! It really means a lot, no matter how cheesy it sounds!**

**I'm not really sure who exactly to pair up with Chrome. I guess that's up to you guys. I've set up a poll on my profile. Just vote, ok? (If you don't have an account, just vote through review~)**

**Also, I've been seeing reviews about me mixing things up. I know, ok? It's all part of the story. I would tell you why her name's still Chrome, but that would mean spoiling it. So I'd rather not say anything first. **

**Lastly, please review~**

**P.S.: Because I updated late, this is a longer chapter, compared to the others, at least~**

** K $h1**

**Chapter 5: What Came Next**

Death wasn't something foreign to me.

There was a time in second grade. I think six months had already passed, and as usual, we had a new seating arrangement. There was this girl next to me named Elise. She was nice and pretty, although, I never spoke to her much, as I was always hanging around my closer friends. And then one day, she started to be absent, and no one knew why until sometime later – when our teacher told us that she had died of cancer.

As a child, I didn't understand death at all. Thus, it didn't matter much to me that she had died

But my thinking changed when my best friend got killed in a car crash.

I was in school when I found out about it. Our teacher told us the news, and it felt like a sense of de ja vu, since it reminded me of that time with Elise. But unlike before, I felt as if I couldn't breathe. Someone started to hug me, and I realized that I was sobbing uncontrollably.

I remembered begging our teacher if I could just go to the hospital where my best friend was at, but as much as he wanted to, he couldn't. School rules and all.

So, the moment my mum picked me up, I pleaded with her to take me there, which she did.

I remembered arriving at James' room and seeing him hooked to all those needles, bloody and bruised, was terrifying.

I remembered crying my eyes out, as my mum asked James' mum what the doctor's verdict was. Seeing his mum shake her head and break down caused me to break down as well.

_So this was how it felt like_, I thought, _to have someone taken from you_.

It hurt like hell.

I remembered how I stopped eating and stopped communicating with anyone else, holing myself up in my room.

Death was a nasty enemy.

And similarly, I was sure I was about to do the same thing when I woke up.

K $h1

A yellow colored ceiling faced me the moment I opened my eyes. Taking a look at my surroundings, I saw that I was in a room that definitely wasn't familiar to me. It had orange colored walls, and brown colored furniture such as bookshelves and cabinets. I was on a bed with blue colored covers, and a blanket was on top of me.

To my right, there was an open window, the cold wind coming in. Beneath the window were a desk, a chair, and a sleeping blonde haired boy who was my 'brother'.

_Where am I? What happened?_

And that's when it came rushing back to me, my whole being filled with dread and anxiety.

_Was my mother safe? Is she here? Is she alive?_

The last question was the trigger. Tears came out of my eyes endlessly, dripping onto my dress. I didn't bother wiping them away. They wouldn't stop anyways.

Angelo stirred and sat up, wiping his tired eyes. He looked at me, eyes widening before wiping my tears away. "Shh, please don't cry."

"I… I c-can't…" I struggled to say. "W-Where's my mother?"

"…"

His silence only made me cry even more.

"She's dead, isn't she…?"

"No, she's not." Angelo assured me.

"Then, where is she?"

"We don't know."

K $h1

Angelo had left me to get me and him some food. I stared into space as my tears started drying up by themselves.

_So, she's missing… Should I be happy about that?_

Of course, I should. It meant that she wasn't officially dead, even if there was a possibility of it.

_What should I do now?_

The answer was easy. Get some answers.

K $h1

When Angelo came back with a bowl of soup, I immediately asked, "Where are we?"

"The secondary mansion of your family." Angelo replied. "It's kind of like a safe house for us now."

"Oh?" I said in response as I held the bowl in my hands and began drinking the soup. When I had finished, I thanked him and asked, "What's in here?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, bewildered.

"Well, the first mansion was like, kind of the base itself, right?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. Why don't we ask your grandparents?"

"What?" I said, eyes widening.

"Uh, yeah, they're here," he said. "You didn't know?"

I shook my head as he helped me up.

"Come on, then. Let's go meet Grandpa and Grandma Cuore."

K $h1

Angelo and I walked out of the room and took many turns along the hallways. Left. Right. Right. Left. Right. And so on until I couldn't keep track anymore.

At last, we arrived in front of a door and he leaned against the wall across it. "Go on, squirt."

"I'm going alone? Are you mad?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "Just go."

I gave in and stepped inside.

The room was wide and had five, large, open windows, which let in some cool air. In front of the middle window was a red couch, where two not-really-elderly looking people sat, drinking coffee. _At least, I think it's coffee._

I assumed them to be my grandparents. And if my assumption was correct, well, I knew that if my brain level was truly that of a one year old's, I'd be pissing my diapers right now, _assuming_ that I was the normal one year old.

These people let out terrifying auras, probably as terrifying as the auras of those of the Generation of Miracles in Kuroko no Basuke (I would say 'God bless those pretty boys', but it seems that He already did).

My grandfather was a tall man with brown hair and purple eyes. My grandmother, on the other hand, had purple hair and blue eyes.

"Oh, Chrome!" Elaina, my grandmother, said as she hugged me. "You poor child, having to go through something like that at such a tender age!"

"It couldn't be helped, anyways… not with us being involved in the m—" Antonio, my grandfather, was saying until Elaina sent him a glare that made him stop and sigh. "Elaina, she has to know."

"She is but a child!" she protested.

"A child, but a smart one!" Antonio responded with a raised eyebrow, and then he looked at me. "Isn't that right, Chrome?"

I nodded, avoiding Elaina's disapproving glare.

Antonio faced me and said, "You love your mother, don't you?"

I nodded again. Beside me, I could hear Elaina silently seething, glaring at her husband for some reason.

"Then, would you like to fight alongside her?"

That question caught me off guard. A one year old fighting another Mafia family (if a mafia family was really the enemy)? Impossible!

_But then again, the Arcobalenos are only two year olds. Argh, but they're really skilled hitmen in a child's body. But as they are in a child's body, it'd be hard to move. But they'd need training! _

_Too many 'but's._

_Wait… _

_Training…?_

"If I say 'yes', I would clearly be trained, correct?" I asked.

Antonio nodded, a small smile appearing on his previously scary face that could put an angry Aomine's face to shame. "Told you she was a smart one, Elaina."

Elaina huffed but didn't say anything.

"However, will I be trained in hand-to-hand combat only?" I asked.

Antonio raised an eyebrow. "And in what other fields should we be training you in, assuming that you survive the training?"

_Okay, Lily. Remember everything in the manga and don't just focus on the hot guys! Let's see, Chrome probably had a shitty childhood, she got into that accident, and – aha! Mukuro! Mukuro = illusions._

"Illusions, perhaps?" I suggested.

Antonio smirked. "And how do you know of 'illusions'?"

_Ah, fudge. _

"…Google?"

Surprisingly, Antonio accepted that answer. I was relieved for a moment until he asked, "Why would you even bother searching them?"

…

"Well, originally, I was searching for some tricks to play on Angelo, you know, the other kid who came with me? So, I was searching some magic tricks, and eventually came upon optical illusions. So, I started searching more on illusions."

It was probably a stupid response, but it was the best I could come up with. Like hell I would tell them the truth or come up with a weird excuse such as seeing the future (not that seeing the future was weird since Yuni and Luce and Aria could do it, but that would lead to more… er, 'complications', I guess). They'd think I was a nutter.

And thankfully, Antonio also accepted that. "Very well. You _are_ serious about this?"

I nodded again.

"Good."

…

"Where's my mother?"

Elaina and Antonio looked at each other, before looking back at me.

"She's currently missing, however, she isn't dead, so there's no need to worry." Elaina said, patting my head.

"Bianca was a tough kid, anyways. She'll come back." Antonio added.

_At least my mother isn't dead. It's still bad that she's missing, but hey, at least she's alive and kicking, right? _

K $h1

"—and then he dismissed be and here we are in my room, eating these seriously delicious cookies." I said, as I had recounted what had happened earlier to Angelo.

"But you're only a year old! That's so unfair!" Angelo pouted. "You're only a year old!"

"And you're five, but look at us right now. Plus, we technically _are_ in a Mafia family, so it's quite inevitable that we'd end up fighting."

"But you're starting earlier than me! Mum forbade me from ever learning until I was six!"

"Dude, that's only a year."

"365 days is equivalent to 8760 hours which is 525,600 minutes which is 31,536,000 seconds which is—"

"Dear Akashi, I signed up for training and most definitely _not_ for Math, so please, Angelo, do the world a favor and shut up."

"Are you on your period?"

"If you're as smart as you say you are, then you'd know that girls get their periods between the ages of eleven to seventeen, from what I remember, at least."

"It was just an expression, Princess."

"…Ew. Don't call me that. You sound like a pedo."

"Do not!"

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"Too."

"Not!"

"Too."

"Not!"

"Not!"

"You admitted it, ha!"

"Dang. Reverse psychology doesn't work on you, huh?"

"But of course."

K $h1

"Hey, old man, are you sure that was the right decision?"

Antonio and Elaina looked at the open middle window and saw a teenage boy walking towards them, twirling a knife in his right hand.

Antonio smirked. "It's about time you got back, brat."

Elaina sighed exasperatedly. "Honestly, both of you are such thrill-seekers."

"Both?" the boy repeated with curiosity.

"_She's_ the girl."

The boy smirked as well. "Interesting." He turned back to Antonio. "Well? You haven't answered my question."

Antonio chuckled. "Of course it was. You were around her age, too, you know?"

"Do I get to…?"

"Yes."

"Perfect."

** K $h1**

**Sneak Peek**

**Chapter 6 – And So It Begins**

Panting, I stood up again and threw a punch at that bastard's face. He could insult me, but insulting my mother was a big no-no.

However, he smirked and easily dodged it. "You know, I was so much better than you when I was your age."

I clicked my tongue. "Shut up. Also, why don't you take off that goddamn mask of yours?"

He chuckled. "Perhaps, if you can beat me, I would."

I smirked as well. "What a perfect challenge, then."

** K $h1**

**Me: Want to know the reason for my late update? Hahaha, well, besides me just finishing my exams last month, our school dismisses us a bit later than most schools (probably because we start late, anyways). Also, I was super busy with projects and (here comes the not really valid reason): I was playing Fire Emblem. It's super addictive, really! Nya~ **

**Ahem.**

**Anyways, since it's summer already, expect an update… either two weeks from now or three weeks from now. It depends, since I'm going to attend basketball classes, lol. (I did this so I could feel as awesome as the GOM, even if it's only a dream)**

**Review please~**


	6. And So It Begins

**Me: Thanks for all the faves, and follows, and reviews! I hope to get more? No? Ok~**

**Also, so far (shofar, lol – don't mind it, it's an inside joke between me and my classmates when we were studying musical instruments), here are some of the results of the poll:**

**Hibari, Byakuran, Belphegor - 5 votes**

**Tsuna - 3 votes**

**Angelo, Mukuro - 2 votes**

**Yamamoto, Gokudera - 1 vote**

***You guys can vote through the poll, through a review, or through PM~**

**Haha, some of my friends (who read this) told me they wanted the masked guy, but unfortunately for them, he can't. You'll find out why soon. I think.**

**Also... sorry for the late update? I did say 2-3 weeks, but I was in the hospital and was ordered by my mother to only eat then sleep then wake up and take those annoying medicines (I HATE TABLETS. SYRUP MEDICINE IS BETTER)**

** K $H1**

**Chapter 6: And So It Begins**

There was no recent news about my mother.

A week had already passed, and I spent most of it in the library, reading a lot of books. Occasionally, Angelo would join me, but he wasn't much of a bookworm, so he just let me be and would come back at night to tell me to go to sleep, assuming that I hadn't already fallen asleep on the comfy chair I always sat on.

Antonio had told me that my training would start soon, but when exactly was 'soon'? A few days? A few months? When?

He never answered me.

I tried not to show that I was worried, but even Angelo could tell that I was. It was just unfair. Sure, I was able to be reborn into this world (not that I knew why Checkerface chose me or something), but why couldn't I be with my mother?

_Gosh, this is making me really pity the real Chrome right now._

_Speaking of the real Chrome, where was she?_

That question was one of my reasons of 'moving in' into the library, reading books about reincarnation and the like. But none answered the question, because it was, after all, something that this world probably hasn't discovered yet.

_Perhaps I could ask Verde?_

Ha. Assuming that I could even find him… and even if I did, would he?

_Well, he could do it for science._

Hmm.

"Oi, you're gonna get fat, you know?"

I glanced at Angelo, who was to my left and said, "What of it? Babies are meant to be chubby and adorable."

"Isn't that quite narcissistic of you?"

"How do you even know what 'narcissistic' means?"

"Uh, I'm smart, duh."

"And you think I'm the narcissist."

"…"

I chuckled and went back to the science book I was reading. "Ne, why are you nice to me now, anyways?"

"What do you mean?"

"You used to be a bitch to me." I said, remembering our first meeting, which wasn't really long ago. It was just a little more than a week.

"Oh," he said. He was deep in thought (something that surprised me) and finally shrugged. "I don't know."

"Sure, you don't."

"I really don't."

I shrugged as well. "Well, when you get your answer, tell me, okay?"

He looked at me skeptically. "Why?"

"Curiosity, and _not_ for blackmailing purposes," I replied. "I swear on the beautiful name of Akashi Seijuuro."

"…Who?" he asked, bewildered.

"_Excuse me_?" I said, appalled. "You don't know _Akashi Seijuuro_?"

He blinked twice. "Uh, yeah. I thought I had already established that."

I jaw dropped. "I need to educate you in – wait, do you even know anime?"

"Well, yeah."

"Like what?"

He mumbled something incoherent, which made me say, "Sorry, what?"

His eyebrow twitched as he said with a blush on his face, "Shugo Chara, okay?!"

"AHAHAHAHA!" I burst out laughing. "S-Shugo… Chara…!"

He pouted.

When I had calmed down (not really), I asked, "What else?"

"You'll laugh again."

"Oh Akashi, is it another shoujo anime?"

"…"

"Pfft," I held a mouth to cover my laugh. "I'll try not to laugh, I promise."

He huffed before continuing, "Maid Sama, Mirmo, Sailor Moon, Brothers Conflict, and Ouran High School Host Club."

I shrugged. "Well, some of the ones you mentioned are cool, like Ouran High School Host Club. Tamaki-senpai is my idol~"

He took one look at me and deadpanned, "Clearly."

"Anyways, what have _you_ watched?" he said, crossing his arms, feeling victorious.

As a one year old, he clearly expected me to have watched only child friendly shows like Mirmo. He was definitely wrong.

I smirked and replied, "Kuroko no Basuke (Akashi~), K Project (Saru~), Hunter X Hunter (Killua~ Feitan~), Attack on Titan (Levi~), Nurarihyon no Mago (Rikuo~), and many others."

He gasped dramatically and demanded, "How?! You're only a kid!"

"Well, I'm a _smart_ kid." I said.

"Narcissist."

"Hypocrite."

"…Baby."

"Why on earth are you calling me your 'baby'?"

"I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!"

"Uh, huh. Sure."

We then fell silent, but when I glanced at him again, he had disappeared.

My eyes widened slightly, until I laughed. "Oi, stop hiding, Angelo. You know you can't scare me."

…

"Um, Angelo?"

…

"This isn't funny, bruh."

…

"Oi, where'd you go?!"

A deep chuckle resonated around the room and suddenly there was a boy with black hair in front of me. A mask covered his face. If I wasn't suspecting him as an enemy, I would have laughed, since it reminded me of a 3DS game I had played before – _Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask_.

I narrowed my eyes at him and demanded, "Who are you and where the hell did you take Angelo?"

"Who knows? You'll have to find out," he said with a playful smirk.

_Angelo was taken so silently and quickly. It was impossible for that to happen. Knowing Angelo, he would have put a fight. Probably, at least. _

_But then… if this guy's a really good assassin, then it's a possibility that he really could take Angelo like that. _

_Unless…_

"Was that an illusion?" I asked.

"Ding! We have a winner!" he said, applauding me sarcastically. "Took you a long time to figure out, brat."

I scoffed and crossed my arms. "What do you want?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to scream or get help or run away? You're seriously just going to ask me a question."

"Duh. What do I look I like to you – a scaredy cat?"

He shrugged. "It's a possibility, considering the fact that you're not wearing any diapers."

My jaw dropped. "You pervert, how do you know that!?"

"I didn't look, stupid," he said, his face showing slight disgust. "I'm not a pedophile like someone I know. Besides, if I was going to look under a girl's skirt, she'd have to be worthy enough for _me _to bother looking."

"…You're twisted, in a seriously amusing way."

"I know."

I sat back down and stared at him. _If he was an enemy, clearly, he would have attacked me by now. Unless, he was an assassin working for another Family and was only stalling me. Perhaps they don't attack children? Then again, the Mafia's ruthless, so I doubt it would be that. So for now, I guess I should assume he's not an enemy, though I should still keep my guard up._

"You haven't answered the question."

He seemed to find what I said funny as he then said, "I'm here to train you, you stupid girl."

"Well, then, _sensei_, why don't we start with: don't call me 'stupid girl'." I said glaring at him.

"Ok, then, obnoxious little girl."

"Ugh…"

K $h1

The boy led me to a training room that I never knew existed in the mansion.

Three days ago, Angelo and I explored the mansion, and we practically memorized where every room was, but this was something I had never seen before.

My 'sensei' had covered my eyes on the way here so I didn't know how to get here, nor how to get out.

"Should I even trust you?" I asked him.

"Why ask me that? I could simply lie," he said.

I scoffed, remembering a saying of Mukuro's. "Yeah, yeah because the truth hides within the lies, the lies hide within the truth, that is mist, blah blah blah."

He chuckled. "Well, to appease you, my _kouhai_, then, yes, you can trust me, and as proof, your grandfather's here."

Surprised, I looked around and finally saw Antonio with Angelo. Skeptical, I closed my eyes. _This isn't real. This is only an illusion. _But when I opened them, they were still there. I looked at the boy and said, "Hmph, I suppose you're right."

"Don't fail, kid." Antonio said, leaning against the wall with Angelo to his right.

"Go, squirt!" Angelo said.

"Shall we begin?" he said, surprising me as he threw a punch at me with great speed.

_Thank God for those karate sessions my real mother put me through._

I managed to dodge his fist, but only barely.

His punches continuously came, adding a few kicks here and there. I dodged most, except for a punch to the shoulder and a kick to my left leg.

"You're so weak, what the hell?" he scoffed. "Like mother, like daughter, I suppose."

Panting, I stood up again and threw a punch at that bastard's face. He could insult me, but insulting my mother was a big no-no.

However, he smirked and easily dodged it. "You know, I was so much better than you when I was your age."

I clicked my tongue. "Shut up. Also, why don't you take off that goddamn mask of yours? You haven't even told me your name."

He chuckled. "Perhaps, if you can beat me, I would take it off or give you my name."

I smirked as well. "What a perfect challenge, then. And I think I'd settle for the name."

_After all, if I know his name, I could always search him online. Muahahaha, in your face, 'sensei'._

** K $h1**

**Sneak Peek**

**Chapter 7: Letters**

"Oi, squirt, come here!"

"What do you want, person who totally has a crush on Ikuto from Shugo Chara?"

"I do not! I like – agh! Just shut up!"

"Why'd you call me, anyways?"

"You've got a few letters."

"If it's not a Hogwarts letter, then it's not important."

"You sure? There are some subscriptions here and one from your mom."

"Hand it over, young Jedi. _Quickly_."

**Me: Wah, I am like **_**so**_** excited for the upcoming chapters! By the way, what do you think is Antonio's relation with the masked boy? Teehee~ you'll find out soon!**

**Also, I promise that Chapter 7 will be longer~**

**Review, please!**


	7. Letters

**Me: Oh. My. GOSH. I love you guys! Thanks for all the faves and follows! They mean a lot, especially the reviews!**

**Here's a longer chapter for you guys for that!**

**And here are the results of the polls, reviews, and PMs~:**

**Belphegor, Hibari – 9 votes**

**Byakuran – 7 votes**

**Tsuna, Mukuro – 4 votes**

**Angelo, Fon– 3 votes**

**Xanxus, Reborn, Mammon, Yamamoto, Gokudera – 1 vote**

**And I apologize for the delay, but then school happened. And my birthday happened. And stupid online tests for school happened. And why do we even need to memorize the countries and capitals of the world?**

**Ahem.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Please vote and review! Thanks!**

** K $h1**

**Chapter 7: Letters**

Never in my previous life have I ever done anything tedious, besides schoolwork, of course.

I was a rather lazy person, who didn't care if I got fat due to lying down or sitting down all the time. The only form of 'exercise' I had was studying, and playing video games.

The only time I was ever forced to exercise was during P.E. class, and I always passed, so I never did any extra stuff.

But now, in this world, I regretted not exercising.

K $H1

_Pant. Pant._

I tried to breathe normally, but it was hard to. My knees were shaking and my muscles ached. Sweat was rolling down on my cheeks, dripping down onto the floor.

I wiped my sweat with the sleeve of my shirt, trying to remain standing. Like hell was I going to give in to _him_ of all people.

The masked boy (or man or whatever) was smirking at me. "Oh? You can still stand? I'll give you credit for that. I'll give you an extra second of rest, then."

It had been a week since he led me to the training room, our fight only ending when I had collapsed from exhaustion. Since then, he'd been really pushing me – from five hundred push-ups each day to surprise attacks on another.

I've got to say… the guy's twisted and annoying, but I suppose his methods are nice. I mean, my stamina has been improving a lot and I don't get as much cuts when he throws his knives at me.

Then, a bell rang and I let out a relieved sigh. Training was finally over.

"Hey, brat. Same time, same place tomorrow. Don't forget and don't be late," my _sensei_ told me.

"Wao, aren't you a perverted little shit? 'Same time, same place'? Sounds like you're asking me to hook up with you or something…" I muttered under my breath.

"What was that? You want to continue training?"

"Oh, I said nothing, _sensei_."

"Yeah, thought so."

K $h1

I went into the kitchen, heading immediately to the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of Gatorade. I finished it in a few gulps and threw it in the trash can. I washed my hands then headed over to the living room, sitting next to Angelo and grabbed the remote from him, switching the channel from _Disney Channel _to _Nickelodeon_.

"Hey! I was watching _Phineas and Ferb!_" Angelo whined as he pouted, trying to get the remote back from me.

"_Angelo_, you've seen that episode _five_ times." I sighed as I watched a commercial featuring _iCarly._

"But it's better than your stupid shows!" Angelo said.

I narrowed my eyes at him playfully. "Oi, they are_ not_ stupid."

"Are too! Why can't you watch something like, I don't know…"

"See? You can't even make a comeback."

"So?"

"_So_, you can't really have enough details to _prove_ that the shows I watch truly are as stupid as you make them out to be."

And then my favorite show came on and I found myself squealing and singing along to the opening/theme song.

"For the love of God, Chrome, _please_ don't make me watch _Drake and Josh_ with you."

"Shut up! You're only jealous because Drake's so hot unlike you!"

"…"

"Hoho, I was right?"

"Like hell!"

K $h1

Eventually, Angelo left me alone and I had some peace as I watched Drake and Josh accidentally run over 'Oprah'. It was highly amusing, considering the fact that it was Josh's birthday and all. Who knew that chubby Josh could actually become a hot quarterback in the movie _Red Dawn_? I mean, seriously. He became hot.

"Oi, squirt, come here!" Angelo called out from where he was, which was who knows where.

"What do you want, person who totally has a crush on Ikuto from Shugo Chara?" I asked back, turning away from the TV to find him headed towards me, clutching some things in his hand.

"I do not! I like – agh! Just shut up!" he exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Why'd you call me, anyways?" I asked.

"You've got a few letters," he said, waving the hand that held some envelopes.

"If it's not a Hogwarts letter, then it's not important." I told him with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, I know I'm not eleven yet, but hey, who knows?"

"You sure?" he asked, ignoring my statement about Hogwarts.

We had a little spat the other time regarding _Harry Potter_. When I found out he liked the series and movies too, we got closer. Then, when it came to the topic of characters, I told him that I fancied (yes, all hail British terms) Fred and Draco, and that Pansy was just a clingy, obsessed bitch. How the heck was I supposed to know that he had a crush on her?

"There are some subscriptions here and one from your mom."

"Hand it over, young Jedi. _Quickly_."

He gave me the envelopes and I hurriedly searched for the one from my mother.

It had been a long time (ok, a few weeks) since I had last heard from her. I mean, hey, I'm a one year old. I'd miss my mother, of course. Besides, the last time I had seen her was when she had rescued me from being kidnapped by this guy who, at one point, I thought was Professor X from _X-Men_ (Cyclops is the bomb *wink* *wink*).

When I had found it, Angelo sat on the opposite couch and read mails from my subscriptions, knowing that I wouldn't mind and I knew that he wanted to give me some privacy for my mother's letter.

I ripped a part of the envelope and got the letter out.

_Dear Chrome, _it began,

_It's been a long time since I've seen and spoken to you, and I miss you so much, darling._

_The war's going fine (Yes, I knew you'd eventually ask). We've got the upper hand, anyways. Fighting is still easy, although, I don't prefer the night shifts._

_Do tell Angelo that Rosetta's fine. He must be so worried, and all Rosetta talks about is Angelo, anyways. Haha!_

_I'm not sure how long this stupid war will last, but I promise that I'll come back, darling. What kind of a mother would be if I didn't?_

_I love you. Stay safe. Don't talk to strangers. If you're in trouble or need help, go to Angelo, your grandparents, or anyone you trust._

_Do tell me about your everyday life there._

_Love,_

_Mom_

I didn't realize I was crying until a teardrop fell on the paper. Furiously wiping my tears away, I snuck a glance at Angelo to see if he had seen. Fortunately for me, he didn't.

I had sworn to myself the day that my grandparents had agreed for me to be trained that I would try not to show any form of weakness, including tears.

"Why the heck did you subscribe to some magazine filled with shirtless, rich pretty boys?"

"It was for business."

"Oh, really now?"

"…"

"By the way, my mom told me to tell you that your mom's fine and talks about you a lot."

"Well, that's good – the part of her being fine. _Not_ the part of talking about me."

"Why, have any embarrassing secrets? What, did you, I don't know, trip and pull down some poor girl's skirt or something?"

"…"

"You _did_?"

"Shut up."

K $h1

"Tell me again why you're leaving me in the forest?"

After I had read the letter from my mother, my _sensei_ appeared at the 'right moment' and dragged me along with him to this forest. Along the way, he blindfolded me so I don't even know where I am right now.

"Survive three days here. It's part of your training." _Sensei_ said. "I'll be back for you at midnight on the third day, right here at this exact location."

"I'll be taking my leave now," he said before pausing. And I could feel that stupid smirk of his. "Oh, and try not to get killed. As much as I don't want to see your annoying bratty face, your grandparents would kill me if they knew I did this you. Even the old man would disapprove of this, insisting that I had to wait another year for this."

"…They don't know I'm here, do they?" I deadpanned.

"Ah, but that is the purpose of illusions." _Sensei_ said before walking off. "I'll see you in a few days, brat."

"Glad to be rid of you, too." I said as I started walking off in the opposite direction.

Three days in the wilderness? A piece of cake. Good thing I was dragged along by my previous parents to a place like this as well.

K $h1

And I spoke too soon.

"AGHH!"

That would be me screaming.

You see, after wandering around for a while, I came across a stream. It seemed clean so I drank some water, but then I saw a crocodile nearby, so when I was trying to get away by walking backwards so that I could keep an eye on that croc, my head had hit a beehive.

And then of course, the beehive fell, unleashing the bees, and alerting the crocodile to my presence. Not only that, but some of the honey in the beehive fell on me, so I am now currently being chased by three animals: crocodiles, bees, and bears that smelled the honey on me.

I ran downhill, but being me, I tripped on a rock and rolled down and hit something soft. I looked up warily, expecting it to be another animal, but thank Akashi. It was Bel.

"Oh, hello, there, Bel." I casually greeted as I looked behind me and saw that the animals were still far away.

"Oh, the not so stupid peasant named Chrome." Bel smirked. "What brings you here?"

"Running away from those animals since I was abandoned here by my 'sensei' to train me." I replied, pointing at the animals that were closing in.

"Shishishi, this is entertaining. The prince shall tag along." Bel said, joining me as I ran away.

I glanced at him and saw that he was grinning manically. I felt a vein throb in my head due to annoyance. _Bel is clearly enjoying this. I mean, he's not even taking it seriously!_

After a few minutes of running, we ended up just outside the gates of a small kingdom.

"Woah, what is this place?" I wondered out loud.

"Some pitiful kingdom that the prince's father has business with. Why he does so appalls the prince since this kingdom is quite useless." Bel shared with me as we leaned against a tree.

"Well, allies are still great assets, you know?" I said, giving him my opinion.

"Shishishi, that's where you're wrong. The prince doesn't need any allies," he said. Before I could add anything, he continued, "But the prince doesn't mind the peasant's company."

_Me? Oh, okay._

"If you say so… and I quite enjoy your company, too." I said. "Say, are you staying anywhere while your father's here?"

"Shishishi, in the palace's 'best' quarters. It's trash compared to the prince's worst rooms in the palace." Bel bragged.

"Um… do you mind me crashing with you?" I asked, a little shyly.

Bel shrugged. "The prince will accept since he is a gracious prince. But the prince gets the bed, since he is a prince."

I nodded gratefully. "Thanks a lot, Bel! And don't worry, I can sleep on the floor!"

"Shishishi, but on one condition."

"Sure, anything!"

"You have to –"

K $h1

"I fail to see why it's me who has to do this." I said quietly, in order not to wake the occupant of the room in front of us.

"And why not? The prince is too lazy to do such." Bel said.

"So why bother making _me _do it?"

"For the prince's entertainment."

"Fair enough."

I then quietly snuck into the room and began to do something that could make the occupant of the room motivated to get back at me.

When I had finished, Bel and I went to his room, making sure to avoid the guards of the palace. I mean, I'm not exactly royalty, so why the hell would I be here, right?

When we got to his room, I had to admire it. If this was the worst room Bel had ever seen, boy was I excited to see what he's got in his house (palace).

I got a spare pillow and a blanket from a cabinet and placed them just beside Bel's bed. I then rested my head on the pillow and yawned.

"Night, Bel."

"Night, peasant."

_Dear Mom,_

_Everything's going fine. _

_I'm currently being trained in combat and illusions. I know you're going to tell me to stop, but I know that you know that it was inevitable. I mean, you're in the Mafia._

_To be honest, you did a pretty good job hiding it from me. I didn't suspect anything at all, until that Charles guy came._

_I'm actually hanging out with one of my friends right now. No, he's not Angelo. His name's Bel. And I'm currently crashing in his room right now since I've been put to a survival test by the one training me. (Did you know my 'sensei' wears a mask all the time? It's annoying. I can't even see his face, and he refuses to tell me his name! __ )_

_Well, those are the only 'remarkable' events in my life so far._

_From,_

_Chrome_

_P.S.: Good luck in the war. Go beat Charles' ass up._

_P.P.S.: I told Angelo about his mom._

_P.P.P.S.: Did you know he pulled down a girl's skirt once?_

_P.P.P.P.S.: …I love you, too._

** K $h1**

**Extra: What Bel made Chrome do**

"Ushesheshe, what's all the fuss?" Rasiel asked the maids, who were giving everything they had not to laugh, as they looked for things to repair the damage done.

One of the still sane maids replied, "Your Highness, what happened to your hair?"

Rasiel raised an eyebrow at that, not that any of them could see. "The king demands a mirror."

One of the maids gave him one. "Here, Your Highness."

Rasiel took a glance and paled. His beautiful hair… his oh so beautiful hair… was now a shade of green, similar to a booger, and there was mayonnaise on his hair.

When he looked up, the maids were nowhere to be found, and they had probably scattered so they couldn't hear him say 'Kaching'.

**Extra: Bianca Receives Chrome's Letter**

"My darling's all grown up now!" Bianca squealed as she held out the letter to Rosetta. "And she loves me! How cute is that!?"

Rosetta scanned the contents of the letter and her eyes widened. "Did they use protection?!"

"It doesn't matter. I'll be expecting cute little babies! I wonder what this 'Bel' boy is like…"

"Bianca, they're _kids_. She can't be pregnant at that age."

"…I suppose you're right. I can always dream, though."

"Ha. Ha. HA." Rosetta said sarcastically as she read the rest of the letter, almost dropping it in shock.

"What's wrong?" Bianca asked her friend worriedly.

"Did you read the letter properly, or were you too busy fantasizing about your future grandchildren?"

"…"

"I thought so." Rosetta sighed at her friend's childishness. "Go read the bottom parts again. Before she wrote 'From, Chrome'."

Bianca took the letter from her friend and read it again, her eyes widening. "This… this isn't possible. I thought he was still in Japan with…"

Bianca's fists tightened. "What are my parents thinking?! If Chrome finds out…"

Rosetta gave her friend a weak smile. "It was bound to happen, Bianca."

"But, why like this…?" Bianca said weakly. "It's too soon… It's too soon for her to find out."

** K $h1**

**Sneak Peek**

**Chapter 8: Christmas Special**

"Aww, you gave me knives? I love you, best friend!"

"But who doesn't love the prince?"

"Ugh, get a room."

"Who invited _you_, _sensei_?"

"Don't take that tone on me, brat. Are you asking for more training?"

"Oh, come on, sensei. Don't be a Scrooge."

"Bah humbug to you."

** K $h1**

**Me: And there's chapter 8! Hope it was worth the wait! (Wao, that rhymes) [chapter 8 was only a sneak peek though, haha]**

**Please review and vote~!**


	8. Christmas

**Me: Hi, guys! Super duper sorry for the late update. Besides the fact that my original intention for this chapter was for it to be updated on Christmas, there was also the fact that school has been quite the thorn on my side. So, this time, expect an update on or before Christmas!**

**Also, here's a reminder for you guys. The poll will officially close on JANUARY 15, 2015. So for those who want to vote, but haven't voted yet, please do so now.**

**And to the guest who reviewed in the last chapter: Yes, I know her name is Nagi. I named her Chrome because -. Well, that's going to be a spoiler. Naming her Chrome was completely intentional. You'll find out why later – possibly in Chapter 11.**

**I now present to you Chapter 8!**

** K $h1**

**Chapter 8: Christmas**

Christmas.

Whenever I heard that word, I was always reminded of presents, hot chocolate, marshmallows, and laughter – _Gabrielle's _laughter.

She loved Christmas. She really did. It was one of her most favorite days in a year. Whenever the "-ber" months came, she would always be so excited about gifts, about the love she'd get from our parents, about the things she would enjoy.

Don't get me wrong. I was happy for her. As long as she was happy, I was happy.

She didn't deserve what I had experienced. I wanted her to live a life full of love. That was why I was so accepting of the fact that my parents would always choose her over me.

Christmas.

I remember that my cousins would drop by and play pranks on me and Gabrielle. We would retaliate, of course, discreetly. Christmas would always turn out to be rather fun and enjoyable. It was, after all, one of the few times that my cousins would drop by and bring 'fun' into our home.

Christmas.

I remember the Christmas tree in our living room, decorated with colorful bells and wreaths. I remember the stockings hung by the fireplace. I remember—

_Why can't I remember anything else?_

_._

_._

_._

K $h1

The lights were shining down on them, as sweat trickled down their faces. To an outsider, they would have looked tired – maybe even stressed, but for those who knew, they could see that their hard work was paying off. It showed in the smiles that were starting to grow on their faces.

_Now, I hope that you're happy with yourself _

_Cos' I'm not laughing_

_Don't you think it's kind of crappy_

_What you did this holiday?_

_When I gave you my heart_

_You ripped it apart_

_Like a wrapping paper trash_

_So I wrote you a song_

_Won't you just sing along?_

_And it goes Merry Christmas_

_Kiss my ass_

_(Merry Christmas Kiss My Ass by All Time Low)_

"That is very inappropriate!" Bianca chided them, putting on her 'beast-mode' face. "You're just children! And Chrome, honey, you're only a year old. You're not supposed to say 'ass'."

"But Mom, physically, I may be one, but mentally, you _know_ I'm mature enough!" I pouted.

Bianca shook her head disapprovingly. "Oh, Chrome, I know, but we have guests." She gestured towards Rosetta and Angelo, who were stuffing their faces with red velvet cupcakes, and to my grandfather and grandmother.

"But Mom, they all curse. I mean, they're in the Mafia. It's natural for them to hear someone else cursing. And, 'ass' just means 'butt'! It's not like the words _they_ say." I reasoned out with wide eyes.

Bianca squealed and gave me a quick hug. "Chrome, you are _so_ cute!"

I shrugged and glanced at my grandparents, who were playing a game of Go Fish.

"Do you have the seven of hearts?" Elaina asked Antonio.

Antonio scowled and handed her the card. "Gah, fuck you."

I then looked at my mother and raised an eyebrow at her. Her eye twitched and she sighed. "Fine. You can say 'ass', but that's it. No more inappropriate or curse words should come from my mouth, alright?"

I mock saluted her. "Sir, yes, sir."

"And Bel, dear, how are you liking it here so far?" my mother asked my blonde best friend.

Yes, he was here. In fact, he was the one who sang along with me. Surprised? So am I. I mean, I didn't even think he'd be willing to sing today, much less an English song, and with _me_ for that matter.

"The prince finds the house to be smaller than what he is used to, but…" he hesitated, his cheeks turning slightly pink. "…the prince likes it here."

My mother squealed again and captured him in a tight hug. I laughed at my best friend, who was then continuing his conversation with my mother.

I sat on the corner and pulled out a pen and my notebook. The notebook was special. It contained the timeline of Katekyo Hitman Reborn – at least, what I remembered of it, and all the details I could remember about the characters.

Right now, I was merely a year old. There were around twelve years, I think, before canon starts, and that would be a rather boring wait. Then again, I could always use the time to train and plan. I needed – _wanted_ – to prevent certain things from happening without completely screwing up the timeline, such as Byakuran's death.

I know he drugged Yuni. I know he was behind Tsuna's death. I know that he was the reason the Vongola was losing. I know he was the bad guy, but –

He deserved a second chance, as well. Deep down, I knew he was a good guy. I knew his friendship with Shouichi was real – he wasn't faking it. I know he truly enjoyed Shouichi's company.

That's one of the reasons why I want to save him…

"And what are you doing here all alone?"

I looked up and saw my sensei. He was wearing a red checkered shirt, black pants, and red and black shoes. Unfortunately, he was _still_ wearing that goddamn mask of his.

"Oh? Do I sense concern coming from you, sensei?" I asked innocently.

"You wish, brat," he scoffed, sitting down on the seat beside me.

"It's Christmas, you know." I informed him.

"And so?" he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Maybe you should give me a gift." I suggested.

He chuckled. "Would a plastic bag suffice as a gift?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not? Although, you could always take off your mask for me, if you want."

"Ha! Fuck no," he laughed. "You're years away from getting me to take my mask off."

"Why do you even wear a mask?" I asked.

"Oh? Do I sense concern coming from you?" he mocked.

I rolled my eyes. "No, you sense curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"…Fuck you."

He smirked. "You can never win against me, brat. Just accept it."

"I so can beat you –"

"Shh, I know. It's hard to be in denial," he said, patting my hair. "But you can get through this. I'm here for you."

My eye twitched. "Get your hand off of my hair." I swatted his hand away.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, violence is never the answer, you know?" he sighed in mock disappointment.

"Whatever…"

"It's time to eat!" my mother called out to me and my sensei, whose name I still do not know.

Dinner with the family was something I… _liked_. Sitting at the head of the table was Antonio, with Elaina to his left and Bianca to his right. I was beside Bianca, with Bel beside me. Beside Elaina were Rosetta, my sensei, and then Angelo.

The adults were all talking about Mafia business – something about exports to Japan and Germany – which left us kids to chat.

"The prince wants more of these cookies," Bel told me as he nibbled on one of the cookies on his plate.

I nodded, getting some from his pile. "What can I say? Mom makes the best cookies in the world."

"I second that." Angelo told me as he burped slightly. "That was so satisfying… I want more."

We all nodded and ate quietly.

The original Chrome didn't have this family. Where did they go? Were they just never mentioned? Or… were they already dead when canon started?

I froze. No. No, no, no, nononononononono –

That couldn't happen.

Impossible.

_Or maybe that was the reason why canon Chrome became the way she was._

But how? How could Bianca… how could Antonio and Elaina… how could Angelo… hell, how could _sensei_ die? They were indestructible, weren't they…?

Bel and Angelo chattered on, oblivious to my zoning out.

_Canon Chrome was never friends with Bel. So why was I? Would this screw up the timeline a lot? Was I never supposed to befriend him?_

_But—_

_I'm not Chrome. I may be in her body, but… I'm not __**her**__._

_I'm Lily._

…_Or am I both?_

K $h1

"Thank you so much for dropping by! Are you sure you don't want to stay for a while?" Bianca pleaded with Antonio and Elaina, who both shook their heads.

"I'm sorry, but the Cuore have a meeting tomorrow with _an important Famiglia_." Antonio responded. "It cannot be postponed."

"We're sorry. Maybe some other time?" Elaina suggested with an apologetic smile.

Bianca sighed. "Alright. Bye…"

As they said their good-byes, I turned to Rosetta and Angelo. "Are you staying the night?"

Rosetta shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I, too, have business to conduct tomorrow. Angelo can stay over, if you wish."

Angelo nodded. "It'll be no biggie."

I chuckled. "Nah, it's fine. Go spend time with your mom."

Angelo clicked his tongue. "Then why bother asking in the first place?"

I shrugged. "You and your mom are kind of a package. Plus, I thought it'd be best if you spent more time with her."

He raised a questioning eyebrow at me. "You're… acting rather odd today. It's almost as if you're being… _nice_."

I snorted. "Yeah, now, shoo. Be gone."

Angelo lightly punched my shoulder. "Whatever. See ya soon?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Bye, Angelo, Auntie."

"Bye, Chrome," Rosetta said, giving me a brief hug as she and Angelo left.

I then turned to Bel. "I suppose you need to go back to your kingdom?"

He shrugged. "The prince will come back here soon."

I nodded. "Alrighty, then. Bye, Bel."

"Ja ne," he said as he disappeared in a flash.

I then turned to my mother. "Can we go in now?"

She nodded.

We sat by the living room, enjoying the warmth of the fireplace.

"Where's sensei?" I asked, noticing that I had not seen nor heard from the man since after dinner.

Bianca blinked. "Oh? I guess he disappeared again, as usual."

There was a certain fondness in her eyes when she spoke of him. Something she only showed to me. Was sensei… someone she knew?

"Do you know sensei?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Of course! He's your sensei, after all. I'd have to know the person who'd teach my daughter before they started."

I shook my head. "No, I meant – in a close way."

She looked at me for a second with some kind of unreadable emotion before chuckling. "No, no, I don't. And he's not your father, if that's what you're thinking. That would be disgusting if it was true."

"As if he'd be my father," I snorted. "I'm not going to have an ass for a dad."

Bianca looked at me quite heatedly at my mention of 'ass', but let it go.

"Speaking of my father…" I started, watching her closely. She wasn't showing any signs of being cautious or anything, so was it safe to ask? "…who was he?"

She looked at me, sadness clouding her eyes for a moment. "Why do you ask?"

I shrugged. "It's been a year. I haven't seen him at all. It's either he's dead, he's super busy, or he's somewhere else. I crossed out the first one, though, which leaves the second and the third choices."

"What makes you think that he's not dead?" she said carefully, her expression turning blank, making it hard for me to tell what she was thinking. I guess the Mafia made you that way.

"If he was dead, you'd or we'd have visited his grave. You know I'm mentally prepared for it, so I assumed that since you or grandpa or grandma never talked of anyone dying, he was alive." I responded. "Did I assume correctly?"

She pursed her lips, trying to think of an answer that could appease both me and her. "Let's just say that… he's fine… wherever he is."

"So he _is_ alive?" I pressed.

She didn't respond.

"Excuse me," she said after a while, stepping out of the room and closing the door softly behind her. I'd be deaf if I said that I didn't hear the soft sobs coming from outside.

K $h1

I felt guilty.

I didn't have to ask her.

I really didn't, but I was curious.

"_Curiosity killed the cat."_

Dammit, sensei, I _know_.

"_Let's just say that… he's fine… wherever he is."_

I knew he was alive, even if she never confirmed it and simply settled for a vague answer. I just knew it.

But if he really was alive, why wasn't he here?

Divorce, they were never married, he had someone else, he was on a business trip…

So many reasons, so many possible answers, but I didn't have a definite one, nor did I have clues as to which one was the most plausible.

I eyed the shelves on the mini-library we had. I scanned each title, occasionally pulling a book towards me and pushing it back in its place as if I never touched it.

They were the Mafia. Surely, they, too, had some secret passage that opened due to a book being pulled?

I heard a soft click when I pulled a book about photography. A slot opened on top of the books lined in the second row and I grabbed whatever was in there – a photo album.

It wasn't just your plain ol' photo album. This one was entitled 'High School Days' – property of Bianca Cuore.

This was it.

This would give me some clue as to who my father was.

But before I could open a page of the photo album, a loose photo from the slot fell down into my hands. I picked it up and saw Bianca with two identical looking males. One male was considerably younger than the other, but both had the same hair and the same eyes.

_Who were they?_

I felt as if I knew them, but I had never seem them before, so what had brought on the familiarity?

_I looked like them._

Technically, I had their eyes and my mother's hair. Could I be related to them, or were they simply my mother's friends or acquaintances?

Looks can be deceiving, so maybe I have no relation to them at all.

I heard my mother walking towards the door, so I hurriedly placed the album and the photo back in the slot, closing it quietly and returning to my original position in front of the fireplace.

Bianca went in and sat down next to me.

No words were spoken.

They weren't needed.

** K $h1**

**Extra: The Opening of Presents**

"Aww, you gave me knives? I love you, best friend!" I squealed after I finished opening (read: violently tearing off) the blue wrapper of the gift I received from Bel.

"But who doesn't love the prince?" Bel smirked, twirling a knife in his finger.

"Ugh, get a room," sensei groaned from the other side of the room. "Honestly, aren't you too young to be flirting?"

"Who invited _you_, _sensei_?" I groaned as well. "Besides, it's not flirting. It's called being _nice_. You should try it some time."

"Don't take that tone on me, brat. Are you asking for more training?" sensei huffed as he drank more wine. "Brats these days…"

"Oh, come on, sensei. Don't be a Scrooge." I told him.

"Bah humbug to you," he half-heartedly chucked a paper ball at me, which I dodged.

"Mom, sensei's being mean again." I whined.

"Just be nice, and everything will be alright," Bianca said, giving a thousand-watt smile that blinded, as flowers appeared in the background.

"I'm scared," I admitted.

Sensei nodded in acknowledgement. "Mothers…"

"…terrifying creatures."

** K $h1**

**Sneak Peek**

**Chapter 9: Bonds**

Silence.

Her eyebrow twitched until she sighed again, massaging her forehead with her thumb and index finger. "Fine, don't. Just _please_, at least show some concern for her."

"If you won't do it for me, at least do it for your father."

"I won't do it for that son of a bitch."

"Then, at least keep your promise. Please…" she said desperately.

He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

** K $h1**

**Me: Sorry for the sneak peek for this chapter ending up as an extra scene! I had the plot planned out already, but I couldn't find a place to insert the sneak peek because I wanted to build the story up a bit. So now, we have Chrome finding out she may or may not have a father who is still alive.**

**Will she ever find out about her father's identity? Will she ever meet her father – dead or alive?**

**Since it's Christmas break, I shall see you either on Thursday or Saturday next week! (Maybe. But I will definitely update before January starts. I'm just not sure if I still have plans with my friends or homeworks to finish. I mean, who assigns homework on **_**Christmas**_**?)**


	9. Bonds

**Me: Hey, guys! What's up? I'm grounded at the moment, so good thing I'm home alone right now, and they forgot to take the Wi-Fi with them! As promised, here is the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy!**

***To RoastedPorkchop: Thanks a lot! I'm sure your questions would be answered sooner or later ^^**

**By the way, I'm going to be switching from the third person POV to the first person POV now and then. I'll be specifying it, of course, but sorry if it bothers you :P**

**Also, just to clarify things, the previous chapter was sort of an omake, but it's connected to this chapter.**

**(SHOUT OUT TO MY TWINZIE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)**

** K $h1**

**Chapter 9: Bonds**

Chrome loved Bianca – treasured her even, but she never said it out loud. Even in her previous life as Lily, she had never spoken of her affection towards Gabrielle out loud, instead, choosing to show it to her in her own little ways. It was her firm belief that actions spoke louder than words.

But Chrome knew that she hadn't really shown anything to Bianca, despite what she felt. The most she had probably done was let her dress her up in that _pink_ thing during her birthday, though she doubted Bianca knew the extent of her feelings towards the dress.

Chrome sighed as she jumped from tree to tree, dodging all the traps her sensei had planted there as she ran away from angry hornets. The hornets didn't bother her much – they were actually helping her focus on her training. What she _was_ worried about was the ongoing war.

Antonio and Elaina never spoke of what was happening, besides the usual 'It's fine' or 'No casualties at all'. Chrome was getting annoyed by it. She _knew_ that they knew she didn't need to be babied like this – to be shielded from the gore of war.

She was a daughter, and her _mother_ was fighting in the war. They had no form of communication, except for that one instance that her mother was able to send a letter to her. There were no more letters that came after that, making Chrome quite anxious.

Why were there no more letters? Was it because the Cuore did not stay at a definite location, or was it because they were in trouble? Were they avoiding the letters being traced back to this mansion, or was it… was it that they were gone?

Chrome shook her head as she dodged an arrow shot at her. That was impossible, right? How could Bianca lose? She was up against Charles, a guy in a wheelchair. What could he do?

_But then again, he has a Famiglia at his back to support him. So does the Cuore, though. Agh, this is too nerve-wracking for me._

She didn't notice the arrow that aimed for her behind.

"FUCK YOU, SENSEI!"

K $h1

Somewhere, far away, a man wearing a mask was laughing as he placed down his cards. "Royal Flush."

His competitor was flabbergasted. He thought he was going to beat this little brat. How wrong he was. "Y-You!"

The man smirked. "You should've known better than to challenge me."

"W-Wait! I know you! You're –"

The man was dead before he could say anything else, the smirk growing wider on the other man's face.

_A student getting tortured at the moment and this…_

_This is a really great day for me~_

K $h1

Back with Chrome…

Chrome stretched her arms as she had finished the obstacle course. According to the agenda given to her by an eagle, presumably belonging to her sensei and acting as a messenger, it was finally time to take a well-deserved break. She grinned as she jumped from branch to branch, and finally, onto Bel's room's balcony. She tapped the window thrice and he opened it, sporting a grin similar to hers.

"Shishishi, the prince supposes that it's time for fun~?" he asked her.

Chrome nodded.

She was still staying in Bel's room. Thankfully, his family was leaving at the end of the week, and she was leaving tomorrow, so it worked well for her.

"What do you want to do?" she asked the blonde prince, who was twirling a knife in his hand.

"Annoy Siel," he responded with a smirk.

Chrome hadn't met the boy's twin yet, and she was nervous. _Would it screw up the plot even more?_ But, her other worry was the fact that Rasiel didn't know she was crashing at Bel's room. Would he tell on her to spite his brother? Where would she stay?

"You sure about that?" she bit her lip.

Bel shrugged. "Why not?"

_Well, if all else fails, it would just be one night of camping in the woods_, she decided.

"Alrighty, then."

K $h1

As the kids were having fun at the kingdom, Chrome's sensei was walking around and sending flirtatious winks to blushing females. He went into an alleyway and placed an illusion over himself. He walked forward, stepping carefully on the cement. Once his foot collided with something, he smirked and stomped on the area. A door opened to his right and he went in, shutting the door behind him discreetly.

Once inside, he glanced at the woman sitting on the chair, looking anxious and a little dirty. "You called for me?"

And though it was a question, he had made it sound more like a statement – an accusation, maybe.

"Yes, I did. Don't tell me I don't even have the right to do so," she replied, sighing. "How is she?"

"Doing well. She's undergoing some survival training right now, and she'll be back in two days' time," he replied, adding, "if I remember to come back for her, that is."

She sighed again, giving him a small, tired glare. "Why do you hate her? She's done _nothing_ to you. You weren't even there when she was born, or even when it was her birthday. Why?"

He didn't reply, pressing his lips into a firm line.

"Answer me, Ry—" she started until he glared at her with such malice, effectively shutting her up.

"Don't call me that," he told her.

She was startled before she frowned. "That's your name. I'm allowed to call you that. Now, answer me."

Silence.

Her eyebrow twitched until she sighed again, massaging her forehead with her thumb and index finger. "Fine, don't. Just _please_, at least show some concern for her."

He scoffed, crossing his arms. She was treating him as if he was a little kid again – as if he wasn't someone with power, as if he was –

"If you called me just for that, then I'm leaving," he said, turning around.

Before he could make it to the exit, she called out to him once more, "If you won't do it for me, at least do it for your father."

"I won't do it for that son of a bitch."

"Then, at least keep your promise. Please…" she said desperately.

He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

K $h1

It was nighttime, and Bel and Chrome were covered up by the soft, thick blanket on the bed. They were sweating, but had grins on their faces.

"I must admit, that was awesome," Chrome said, laughing softly as she did.

"Shishishi, but of course. It was the prince's idea, after all." Bel had said, stretching his arms.

Chrome had stopped laughing and was looking out the window. The stars were twinkling, and the crickets were chirping. Everything seemed normal – at peace, even.

"I wish there weren't any wars…"

It was meant to be a private thought, but she had unknowingly let it out of her mouth. Bel looked at her curiously, as she froze.

"I… well… it wasn't…" she tried to say, but he had cut her off, "Why does the peasant think so?"

"…It's a stupid thing to do. Wars… disputes… all the fighting… shouldn't they be resolved through peaceful means? Negotiations, meetings… there are so many peaceful ways of going by it. Why do we have to fight? Why do we have to sacrifice our lives?" she responded quietly. "We give our blood and lives to protect what's precious to us, but surely, we don't need to go that far… right?"

Bel was silent, simply listening to what she was ranting about, but she appreciated it. It was nice to have someone listen to her like this, and more importantly, someone who understood.

"Violence… it should be a last resort, and not our main weapon. It's a waste of lives… I mean, innocents are caught up in the war. They don't deserve to die, but they do, just because two different groups of people couldn't find it in themselves to settle things peacefully," she continued.

When she hadn't added anything, Bel asked her, "…What brought this on, peasant?"

He wasn't concerned, oh, no, he wasn't. But the peasant was acting different, and far from her usual self. She was thinking about something beyond her physical age, and that interested him. She was someone he didn't want to share with anyone else. She was, dare he say it, his friend – maybe even his best friend, not that he'd admit it out loud.

"My mother's fighting in a war right now," she replied. "I haven't heard from her at all… it's worrying. I've never even given her a proper 'I love you'. I've never even shown her how much I cared. And what if, when I come back home, I find out that she's gone?"

He frowned. He was never good at comforting females – or anyone in general, but for her, he supposed he'd try. "…The prince is sure that the peasant's mother cares for her, as well, and the prince knows that she knows the peasant cares too."

"How would you know…?" she asked, burying her head in the pillow underneath her.

"Because the prince is a prince," he replied with confidence.

She nodded, and smiled, beginning to doze off, but not before he heard her whisper a 'thank you' to him.

He felt proud of himself.

K $h1

From up above where the two kids slept, Chrome's sensei scowled as he watched Chrome snuggle with Bel. It was an innocent, childish act, but it still annoyed him greatly.

Why her, anyways? He was the best at what he did. He was smart, cunning, and he was confident enough in his abilities to take down a whole Famiglia single-handedly. So, why?

He supposed this started the moment his father left – the moment everything had changed for him.

A gust of wind passed by, removing the hood he kept up. Dark – almost black – hair was ruffled by the wind as he scoffed, and disappeared in a flash.

** K $h1**

**Sneak Peek**

**Chapter 10: A Change**

"What are you talking about? This is bullshit."

"I'm not—"

"You're lying, sensei! This is the worst thing you've done about all the other stuff you've done or said to me!"

"Like I said –"

"You're wrong!"

She was so surprised by the tears that came out from the mask that she almost didn't hear the 'I'm sorry' that came out from his mouth.

** K $h1**

**Me: Ooh, some drama for the next chapter! I feel excited since it'll almost be time for me to make a time-skip, not to mention the fact that there'll be quite a twist in the coming chapters. I hope you guys are as excited as I am for the coming chapters, because I can't wait to start writing them! **

**I'll be updating on the second week of January, possibly on January 7. I'll be updating every two weeks now, too ^^**

**See you next time!**


	10. Change

**Me: Hi, guys! I know I said I'd update near the seventh of January, but my mom wouldn't let me near the computer since we had upcoming exams. Sorry about that! The good news, though, is that I really can update many twice or thrice a month, depending on projects but my minimum update goal is twice a month. **

**Thank you, too, for the added favorites, follows, and reviews! It means a lot.**

**Also, the 'mystery' surrounding Chrome's real name as Nagi, as some of the reviewers have mentioned, will be solved in the following chapter, so stay tuned!**

**I now present Chapter 10!**

**Replies to Reviews:**

**To GraceHeart27: Yeah, I know. Hopefully the next chapter clears things up for you.**

**To PaperWorld: You'll find out in the next chapter why she's named Chrome. And it's fine. I could tell you why she's kind of 'advanced' for a baby but I don't wanna spoil anything yet. Unless you want me to tell you through PM?**

**To Ana: Tsuna x Chrome? Haha! I'll think about it.**

**To RyuuenXKai: You'll see in chapter 11 (the next chapter! Woohoo!) why her name is Chrome. Thanks for loving the story, and here's the update you've been waiting for!**

** K $h1**

**Chapter 10: Change**

Wars are ugly.

They result in an endless cycle of hatred and revenge. They bring about a lot of bloodshed, loss, sorrow, grief…

They change people. Perhaps, a hopeful twenty year old soldier would be excited to fight in the first war of his life to serve his nation, only to come back from the war broken, battered, and changed.

Wars are the solutions of the immature. There were more peaceful means to resolve a conflict – having a conference with each other being one of them.

People didn't have to kill. People didn't have to steal. People didn't have to burn settlements to the ground.

But that was what wars were.

And although wars bring victory and spoils to the victors…

_I still hate them._

K $h1

(at a battlefield near Vienna)

"Charles, damn you!" Bianca shouted as she wielded her red flamed sword, panting as blood flowed out from the open wound on her leg.

She was blocked by Charles' bodyguard's dagger filled with Rain flames.

Bianca gritted her teeth as she threw poisoned needles at Charles, who managed to evade it despite being crippled.

She glanced at her best friend, who was also having trouble with another guard. She spied another goon coming up from behind Rosetta, and she knew a scream wouldn't alert her in time.

She ignored the pain as she hurried over to her best friend.

Rosetta, whose Cloud flames were slowly decreasing, aimed another kick to her attacker, who easily blocked it and pushed her aside. He stepped over her body and positioned to kill her with his axe.

Bianca saw red and charged at him.

She had to win this war. She had to defeat Charles and his Famiglia.

For her best friend who was lying on the ground.

For her Famiglia who needed to be safe from people like Charles.

For her daughter who was being targeted by Charles.

She had to win.

_Please, Kami._

_Please._

_I have to win._

K $h1

_Two days later…_

Chrome was waiting at the spot her sensei had left her three days ago. She was hopping on one foot, her hand twitching. She wanted to get home soon. She wanted her room, she wanted Angelo, she wanted her grandparents – she wanted Bianca.

Don't get her wrong. She absolutely adored her time with Bel, who was due to leave the kingdom she had (secretly) stayed at in a while. It was good timing, as she was still allowed to sleep in his room free of charge.

The training had certainly improved her, giving her both physical and mental benefits. Not only did she actually get used to training (for once in her life – er, lives), but she was also learning to think fast. But, she believed that the most important thing she had achieved in these past few days – besides the sneaking skills she had developed from avoiding the palace guards, the king and queen, and Rasiel – was her being prepared for battle.

Reincarnation was something she had never expected to receive in life, much less in a fictional world. She supposed she was quite thankful for the opportunity, as it had given her many things that she had not received as Lily. She had a loving mother, sort-of-doting grandparents, a derpy older brother figure, a wonderful best friend, and even a fucked-up sensei that she sort of appreciated.

The good things outweighed the bad things by a lot.

"For a one year old, you think pretty deeply."

The casual way the comment was spoken made her tense up. Her sensei was in front of her, mask on and a blank look on the lower part of his face.

Chrome shrugged her shoulders, looking at him. "As a one year old, life is quite boring, so why not think?"

"You progress faster than the average one year old baby. Perhaps, you are hiding something?" he mused.

Chrome scoffed. "Definitely not."

"Let's go, then?" he told her, walking away with his hands in his pockets.

Chrome walked behind her sensei, eyebrows furrowed. _Is something…_

K $h1

…_wrong with him?_

I wonder why something feels kind of… off about sensei. I may not have known him for a long time, but there's just something about him that strikes me as odd.

I pinched my arm hard, my sharp fingernails drawing some blood. He was still in front of me, walking as if he had no care in the world, with his hands resting on the back of his head.

_I suppose that rules out the possibility that he's an illusion. An imposter, perhaps?_

"Hey, sensei. What was the first thing you ever said to me?" I wondered out loud.

He looked at me, and if he did not have a mask, he probably would have an eyebrow raised. "Why do you ask, brat?"

I shrugged. "Curiosity."

I knew he wouldn't indulge me, but surprisingly, he did.

"'Oi, you're gonna get fat, you know?'. That's what I said, brat," he replied with a scoff.

"_Oi, you're gonna get fat, you know?"_

_I glanced at Angelo, who was to my left and said, "What of it? Babies are meant to be chubby and adorable."_

"_Isn't that quite narcissistic of you?"_

"_How do you even know what 'narcissistic' means?"_

"_Uh, I'm smart, duh."_

"_And you think I'm the narcissist."_

So he wasn't an imposter. So why do I feel like there's something more?

K $h1

I received my answer once we returned home.

Passing through the doorway of the Cuore mansion felt a bit odd at first, with how little time I had spent here and how long I had left, but I felt excited to return home all the same.

I bounded up the steps the moment I could, only stopping when I almost collided with Elaina and Ricardo, who were grim-faced. "Oh, hi there, Nonno, Nonna."

Elaina suddenly enveloped me in a hug, making me wonder if today was some sort of important event for them.

Apparently, it was.

"Chrome?" Elaina called out to me, hiccupping slightly. My eyes widened at the tears trailing down her cheeks.

What was happening?

What happened?

Ricardo frowned as he patted my head, something he had never done before. "…"

He offered no words, and I couldn't turn to Elaina, who was a sobbing mess.

I glanced behind me – Sensei was still here, and he was tense, clenching his fists every now and then. Why?

Ricardo sighed, massaging his temple. "Chrome, er–"

"Bianca's dead, brat," Sensei's voice sounded hollow – broken.

"What are you talking about? This is bullshit." I snapped at him, refusing to believe it.

"I'm not—" he began to say.

"You're lying, sensei! This is the worst thing you've done about all the other stuff you've done or said to me!" I exclaimed. If this was a joke, it was a downright terrible one that I wouldn't ever dream of doing to anyone.

"Like I said –"

"You're wrong!"

I was so surprised by the tears that came out from the mask that I almost didn't hear the 'I'm sorry' that came out from his mouth.

Sensei was crying. _Sensei_ was actually crying.

Why? What was his relationship to my mother? Was there something going on between them that I didn't know about?

Before I could say anything, Sensei clicked his tongue and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

I didn't cry. Instead, I was more shocked than anything.

Was it because I only had a little more than a year with her? I loved her, didn't I? Or, was it just an obligation I felt as her daughter – an obligation I chose to fulfill since I had replaced what could have been a sweet, a more loved daughter?

I just felt…

…empty inside.

She was one of my precious people. To have her gone was like taking a piece of me away. Why did she die so early? Why? I was only a year old right?

Physically, I was tiny. I was small. I needed her support. She was the one that held me together. With her gone, I feel vulnerable.

I bowed my head, glaring at the carpet on the floor. Why? _Why?_ Did the original Chrome go through this, too?

What effect did this have on the original Chrome? Perhaps, nothing, except for the fact that Chrome began to live with her father and stepmother. Canon Chrome was only a year old, as well, when this happened, but she didn't have the mentality I had. She couldn't have understood what was happening.

I clenched my fists and found myself shaking. Whether it was due to anger at the heavens or me trying not to break down, I didn't know. All I felt was the warmth of my grandmother, who held me as if I were a lifeline.

K $h1

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"

The priest had started talking, sheltered underneath the black umbrella that protected him from the heavy rainfall. In front of him stood many people, their faces clearly depicting their sorrow.

The person they were crying for looked so beautiful – so at peace – as she lay motionless in her coffin.

"Bianca Cuore was a loving mother, a dear friend…"

The priest continued on, as a few people wiped tears from their eyes. The immediate family of Bianca was situated closer to the coffin, face blank but eyes mourning. The Cuore patriarch stood there stiffly, an arm around his wife, who looked like she was trying to convince herself that she was dreaming. Beside them stood their granddaughter, Chrome, who looked like an emotionless doll – a face unfitting for a one year old. Holding her hand was Angelo Vittori, who teared up at the sight of his aunt and godmother. Rosetta Vittori stood behind the two, arms around them as she mourned for her best friend.

"Would anyone like to say a few words?" the priest had offered, and all eyes turned to the immediate family.

Elaina had stepped forward, supported by her husband.

"Bianca was a good daughter – the best we could have ever asked for. She was sweet, obedient, and gentle. She only fought in this war… to protect her Famiglia and daughter. Everything she did wasn't for herself, but for _us_. Why did she have to die?!" Elaina screeched at the end, collapsing into a heap of tears.

Ricardo flinched slightly as she did, pressing his lips together in a firm line. He had to remain strong – for his wife, for his granddaughter…

Rosetta stepped forward, as well.

"Bianca… she was the best friend I had always wished for. She was always there for me, helping me up whenever I fell down. I had only been friends with her for a few years, but those were the best years of life. Every day, she would make me smile, even in the toughest moments. She was someone I could rely on. Bianca, I'm sorry I wasn't of much help to you. I'm sorry I didn't have your back t-this time. Bianca, please forgive me," Rosetta wailed, and she was comforted by the warm hand of her son.

Why her best friend? It was all her fault for being too weak.

She was supposed to _protect_ Bianca, and not the other way around.

Why did it have to be this way?

Chrome sucked in a breath as Rosetta gave way for her. She exhaled and her eyes were filled with determination.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I haven't really been a good daughter, have I? I dismissed your offers to go shopping for dresses. I snooped around your stuff. I didn't spend much time with you. And now, you're dead. It's only now that I realized just how important you are to me – just how much I need you in my life. But, I know I can't change the past, so I'll just promise you this. Mom, I _swear_, I _will_ avenge your death, no matter what. I'm only a year old now, but I've been making progress with Sensei. Imagine how strong I'd be once I reach your age? I promise, Mom, your death won't be in vain," she had said firmly and clearly.

She received surprised looks from her grandparents, her Aunt Rosetta, and Angelo. But she knew that this was what she wanted – she wanted revenge, and she would _kill_ Charles…

…even if she had to die, as well.

_Wars don't always go the way you want._

_It's not up to you to say that you would be the winners or that they would be the losers._

_People expect good to always triumph over evil._

_But sometimes, evil wins no matter how hard you try._

** K $h1**

**Sneak Peek**

**Chapter 11: Japan**

"Hey, there. Chrome, right?"

"…"

"Well, um, I'm your dad."

"…"

"Uh… help me out here, Yuzuki."

"Dear, I'm Himeji Yuzuki. I'm your… stepmother, and this is your father, Ryuzaki Yuzan. It's… nice to meet you."

"…"

"Since you're in Japan, I think we should give you a Japanese name, hmm? What would you like?"

"..i…"

"Sorry?"

"..gi.."

"Sorry, come again?"

"Nagi."

"_Nagi_… that's a wonderful name you chose, Chrome."

** K $h1**

**Me: And there! I hope that little sneak peek clears everything up about Chrome's identity. And she meets her father and stepmother, too! What adventures await Chrome until canon starts? Eh, who knows.**

**Sorry again, for the late update. I'll post on my profile the dates as to when to expect me to update my stories.**

**Also, sooner or later, I might start editing the chapters and polishing them to make them better, but I won't delete the story.**

**So, yeah.**

**Review please! Oh, and the poll's still open if you want to vote? I'm making the deadline until February 22 (my brother's birthday!), so that's one more week and maybe a few days or hours.**

**See you next time!**


	11. Japan

**Me: Hi! I'm really sorry about updating late. School assigned us quite a number of projects and after that was already our exams so it was really stressful. I've been taking a few days of summer to take a break, but I'm ready to type again. So here's the eleventh chapter!**

**By the way, the poll has ended and the results will be posted in the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

** K $h1**

**Chapter 11: Japan**

When people talk about 'moving on', there are varied reactions. Some get annoyed at the mention of it, some are chill with it, while some are reflective about it. 'Moving on' could be associated with break-ups, with friendships, and with the dead.

I hear my grandmother – _Chrome's_ grandmother – cry each night. My grandfather would try to comfort her, but I know that he, too, was almost breaking inside. To lose a daughter – an only daughter – was tough. I can't claim to know how it feels – I was a teenager when I died, and I was only a year old right now.

Whenever Rosetta drops by, her eyes would be grieving, despite the smile she forces on her face. Angelo and I have noticed it, but we never said anything about it. If that's her way of dealing with it, then we would respect it.

I haven't seen Sensei in a while, though. I always looked around the corner, or even behind me, but he wasn't there. I knew he and Bianca were close, but _how_ close they were, I didn't know.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Troublesome…"

I almost laughed. I sounded like Shikamaru from Naruto. But laughing wasn't an action I've done in the past week.

Losing Bianca didn't make me cry, I admit. I wasn't close to her. I never spent much time with her, but I knew she was important to me. It was just hard for me to actually _care_ so much about someone who was only in my life for a while.

_Does it make me a horrible person, I wonder… if I said I didn't really care?_

It made me sad to lose her, but not as sad as Nonna was.

K $h1

"Chrome, I think it's best if… we sent you to Japan."

Ricardo's words shocked me, and I looked at him with wide eyes. "I… what?"

Ricardo inhaled sharply. "Charles is on the move, and he's already taken out Bianca. It would be better for you to reside in Japan, where you'd be safe."

Safe? I didn't want to be safe. I wanted to fight. I wanted to avenge Bianca's death. I wanted to—

Ricardo placed a hand on my shoulder, almost as if he could tell what I was thinking. "You're still young. You'll have more time to train and get stronger if your life was not in danger. He won't be able to find you there."

There was logic in his explanation, but did I even want to agree with it?

Ricardo sighed. "You'll be leaving in two hours with Rosetta. I… suggest you say your good-byes now."

I slowly nodded my head, turning around and heading out the doors.

I found no reason to go against his wishes.

K $h1

Saying good-bye felt odd. 'Good-bye' as a word itself was odd. It always gave me the impression that I would never see that person again, so I always opted for saying 'See you soon'.

Angelo didn't want to let go of me, so Rosetta had to pry him away. Elaina had given me a tearful farewell. Bel – I didn't meet him. He was busy, fighting Rasiel that is. Or at least, that was what I had assumed. I had left a letter for him, hoping that he could read it once he was free.

I sighed as I boarded the plane with Rosetta, who was carrying my luggage. Was it even alright for me to be safe while the rest were putting their lives on the line? Was it alright for me to be comfortable while the rest weren't?

I groaned, resting my head on the arm of the chair. It wasn't fair, but since when was the world even fair?

"You're thinking quite deeply, aren't you, Chrome?" Rosetta chuckled. "Care to share?"

I gave her a small smile. "It's nothing to worry about."

She nodded and looked out the window as I stared blankly at the carpeted floor beneath me.

And that's when it hit me.

I would be in _Japan_. I would be with Chrome's stepmom and dad. I would be meeting Mukuro. I would be – fuck. I'd be getting in an accident.

I sighed. So be it.

K $h1

A black haired man and a blonde woman were the ones waiting for me at the airport, holding a placard with my name on it. Rosetta was holding my hand and my suitcase on her other hand. Her face was a little blank, staring at the man hardly as we neared them. The man looked a little uncomfortable when he saw her with me, but then looked around questioningly.

"Hi, Rosetta…" the man chuckled slightly, gulping softly. He looked really nervous when he was looking at her. The woman, on the other hand, looked happy to see her.

"Rosetta! It's been a while, hasn't it?" the woman smiled at Rosetta, who looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I suppose it has, Yuzuki." Rosetta said, glaring at the man. "You'll take care of her well, won't you?"

The man nodded, no longer nervous. "Of course, I will. It's my obligation to."

"An obligation you didn't attend to," Rosetta snapped at him. He looked guilty, and so did the woman, but only slightly. "Whatever. I expect her to write me every other week, so if she doesn't, I will know why. She will be fed, cleaned, cared for, and given schooling. I swear if you even hurt her, I'll gut you."

The pair paled at her last sentence.

Rosetta sighed, turning to me. "Sweetie, I actually have a conference to get to. Here's your luggage. We'll be sending your other stuff in a week or two. Take care, alright? We'll miss you."

She gave me a hug – something I didn't expect at all.

_I couldn't even remember the last time __**she**__ hugged me._

I stiffened, and Rosetta seemed to realize what she had done. She let go of me and coughed. "I'll get going now. Bye, Yuzan, Yuzuki."

I turned around as she left and was swallowed by the crowd.

The man – Yuzan – coughed, gaining my attention as I gripped my luggage tightly.

"Hey, there. Chrome, right?" he asked me with an uneasy smile.

"…" I stared at him blankly. Who was he to tell me this?

"Well, um, I'm your dad." Oh. So this was him.

"…" I continued staring at him blankly, tempted to raise an eyebrow.

"Uh… help me out here, Yuzuki," he looked at the woman next to him.

"Dear, I'm Himeji Yuzuki. I'm your… stepmother, and this is your father, Ryuzaki Yuzan. It's… nice to meet you," she told me nervously. I could understand why. Telling a child that you were her stepmother – her new mother – was difficult, especially when the child was rather young.

"…" I didn't say anything. Did I even need to? They were just taking me because Antonio probably forced them to. They didn't want me.

"Since you're in Japan, I think we should give you a Japanese name, hmm? What would you like?" Yuzuki suggested to me with an encouraging smile.

"...i…" I mumbled softly. I had to stick to canon if I wanted a happy ending.

"Sorry?"

"..gi.."

"Sorry, come again?" Yuzuki came closer.

"Nagi." I made my voice louder, and I looked at her with determined eyes.

"_Nagi_… that's a wonderful name you chose, Chrome." Yuzuki gave me a close-eyed smile and I wondered to myself how such a nice person could end up like the one in canon.

_**Looks can be deceiving, Chrome.**_

What. The. Fuck.

I looked around to see if anybody else had said that.

"Well, let's get to the car, then. It's a long drive home," Yuzuki told me, picking me up and Yuzan gathered my luggage. As we walked to the car, I heard it again.

_**She won't always be like this.**_

_Who are you? Why are you talking to me in my mind?_

I was suspicious. Was this another Mist user? Was this person just like Mukuro?

_**I'm not like Rokudo. And I don't exactly have a name – a proper name.**_

_Why not?_

_**Stop asking stupid questions. Just be careful.**_

_But how will I not be curious as to the one talking to me in my brain. Are you… another personality of mine?_

_**You could say that.**_

_Okay. I'll accept it for now, but one day, you and I are having a talk._

_**Whatever.**_

K $h1

The house wasn't as big as the mansion, but it was big enough compared to other houses. There were five bedrooms: one for Yuzan and Yuzuki, one for me, a guest room, a bedroom-turned-storage room, and they refrained from saying anything about the other room, which was barricaded. There was a kitchen, a bathroom for each room, a mini-library, a living room, and a backyard outside. It seemed to resemble the Cuore mansion I stayed at, but a relatively smaller version, and one that didn't feel like home to me.

Yuzan and Yuzuki left me in my room as Yuzuki made some food for me and Yuzan had business to attend to. Yuzuki, so far, was quite nice and seemed to genuinely want to know me. Now, normally, the stepmoms I knew were mean, refusing to accept the child of the woman their husband had previously loved. She didn't seem to be one of them, and I thought that maybe I could grow to like her, despite what my inner said.

Speaking of my inner, I didn't even know why I had one. If this was some sort of personality disorder, I didn't know where it came from or how it manifested. I didn't even know if my inner was even an inner. It could have been a Mafioso trying to hunt me down by getting in my head, so I tried to avoid talking to my inner as much as possible, not that that would probably help.

Someone had knocked on my door. Yuzuki came in with some hot soup and bread and placed it on my bedside table. She took a chair and placed it in front of me as she began to feed me.

I accepted it. I was hungry.

And when I had finished, she promised to tell me stories and to spend time with me. She headed downstairs to wash the bowl and utensils I had used, so while waiting, I lay on top of my pillow and began to reflect on everything that had happened so far.

I was reborn as Chrome, even if I didn't die. (At least, I think I didn't die.)

Charles and his Famiglia attacked on my first birthday party, where I met Angelo.

We then stayed at my grandparents' mansion, where I met Sensei.

I began to train with Sensei and along the way, I met Bel.

There was this odd boy in the picture located in Bianca's album.

Bianca had died.

But why? Why was I just accepting these events? Could it be that I wasn't taking this seriously enough? Could it be that I still think of this as an anime, and since everything turned out alright, I just knew that it _would_ turn out alright? Is that why I've been so casual about things?

Call me heartless, but I couldn't help it. I just didn't _feel_ anything bad about it.

And I didn't even know why.

K $h1

As the one year old reflected on her thoughts, outside the window of her new room stood her sensei, perched on a branch and hidden in an illusion, disguised as an orange cat. He observed the girl, wondering if he should at least talk to her. He was her sensei. She was his student. Should he make an attempt to 'connect' with her?

He shook his head. Why should he bother? She wasn't his responsibility right now.

"_You'll take care of her, right, Ry—"_

He gritted his teeth, damning the woman who left him in this situation. If she had not died, she would not have to stay with that _good-for-nothing bastard. How could the old man even __**think**__ of sending her here? To __**them**__? That was a stupid decision on his part. Does he honestly think he could fool that stepmother for so long? She'd realize. Oh, yes, she would._

He groaned slightly. He watched her look at the ceiling with mature eyes – eyes that shouldn't belong to a one year old. She shouldn't have those eyes. Not yet, at least.

He sighed, flickering away.

He had a mission to attend to.

** K $h1**

**Extra: With Bel**

_Dear best friend,_

_I'm sorry I had to go._

_It was a sudden decision, but it was for the best._

_Don't miss me too much, okay?_

_I left a present for you under my bed. Just ask Angelo for it or something._

_We'll meet again one day. I know we will._

_Thanks for everything._

_See you soon!_

_Chrome_

He kept the letter in his pocket with a blank face. How dare she just leave like that? How dare she leave _the prince_ like that? He sighed. At least, she had left a letter and informed him of what had happened.

He threw a knife at some random bandit he had seen.

Might as well take his annoyance out on them.

** K $h1**

**Sneak Peek**

**Chapter 12: A Jungle**

"I have to go to _school_?"

"Well, Rosetta said you had to, and it's only proper of a child to attend school, don't you think, Nagi?"

"I suppose…"

..

"Hi, I'm—"

"Step away from me, you leech."

"Wah! Sensei, she called me a bad word!"

"…Well, bitch works, too."

** K $h1**

**Me: I hope you guys liked it? Sorry if it seems a little rushed, especially the second part: the one where Antonio tells Chrome to go to Japan.**

**But, what do you know? Chrome's got an inner. I wonder who it is? ;) Over time, you'll find out why Yuzuki's really nice, when Canon! Chrome's stepmom wasn't, and also what her sensei's relationship really is to Bianca.**

**A little explanation on Chrome's behavior: Lily had parents who preferred her younger sister. It made her somewhat detached or secluded, in a way. She 'died' as a teenager who wasn't mature yet. Plus, she's only been with Bianca for a while. (One year as a **_**baby**_** isn't really enough) So, she doesn't feel anything. And yes, because she's finished the anime, she knows that they all get happily ever afters. Because she has training, she feels like she would eventually win anyways, so she doesn't worry. It's made her a little arrogant and made her think that way. **

**Did that help?**

**Meh.**

**I'll be editing chapters starting from the first one soon, so hopefully the edits make the story better!**

**See you next time!**


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